Motherhood: Crazy and Good
In this issue you read a touching poem about a wife’s yearning for her husband. Then there are reflections from a reluctant mother: “I Didn’t Want Kids, But I’m Glad I Got Them.” She doesn’t say it, but the piece reaffirms the age-old notion that there is something holy in the mundane duties of life.
Ebola’s Future Saints
Ebola isn’t the first frightening plague to make our knees shake. There have been plagues since we’ve been recording history. But since we’ve been recording the history of Christianity, we’ve seen a remarkable convergence, in which “Christianity . . . prompts people to run towards the plague when virtually everyone else is running away.” Read more here.
The Study of Awe
I think this piece is interesting for what it does not explore. It’s trying to figure out the reason we’re fascinated with awe and wonder: “I’m not a spiritual person, or a gushy one, so what caused this quasi-religious feeling that the mountains, people, and river were hanging together in ethereal balance?” From that point on, things spiritual are pretty much sidelined.
But could it be that an explanation given by many religions and philosophers all through history is the key, that we sense the presence of our Creator, and even when we see only his handiwork, we nonetheless get a sense of his holiness?
Still, the fact that even committed materialists are considering and studying awe gives one hope that they may end up at this most magnificent of vistas.
Creation Renewed
We hear a lot of bad news about the degradation of the environment. It’s nice to know that some efforts are turning things around. Take oysters in Chesapeake Bay. The other thing I like about this five-minute video is that it doesn’t preach; it merely shows.
By the way, filmmaker Nate Clarke has done a number of videos for Christianity Today’s This Is Our City project. Other films of his can be found here.
—The Editors
