A New York Times op-ed this week examined the growing phenomenon of poverty in the suburbs. A New York Times op-ed this week examined the growing phenomenon of poverty in ...

During a recent interview, professional boxer Bernard Hopkins <a href="http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/story/2011-05-11/bernard-hopkins-says-donovan-mcnabb-not-black-enough-tough-enough" target=&q ...

I'm a Midwestern girl coming out of her winter shell this month. Flip flops are lost companions just now crawling out from under beds and hidden closet shelves. I'm a Mi ...

My family, while I was growing up, was not much for spring breaks. As other families we know flitted about preparing for palm trees and sand, my sister and I would pout and lament to my mother that we had the ...

I just returned from a fabulous little weekend getaway. Skipped town with the hubby. Just us, sans three kids for the first time in four years, and it was glorious. I just returne ...

People tend to approach each New Year with optimism, but the latest news about unemployment was not particularly encouraging. People tend to approach each New Year with optimism, ...

As young kids, my sister and I always loved to rummage through my grandmother's basement. As young kids, my sister and I always loved to rummage through my grandmother' ...

<p><a href="/sites/default/files/images/100908-flipped.jpg"></a>A lot of contemporary movies picture American suburban life as banal, hypocritical, and morally bankrupt -- a deceitf ...

<em><strong>Editor's Note: </strong></em><em>What is behind Craigslist's recent enigmatic, and dramatic, choice to replace (at least for now) its entire "adult serv ...

We joined the flood club this weekend. I've heard rumors about this group of people before. We joined the flood club this weekend. I've heard rumors about this group of ...

"So what are you up to this summer?" seems to be the question du jour. With the calendar about to flip into June everyone seems antsy for a summer plan. "So what ...

I was reminded of a little gardening tip last week that has my dear husband Joel rolling his eyes. Joel is a good sport. I was reminded of a little gardening tip last week that h ...

It is still very much winter in Chicago. Sure, the calendar says March, but the piles of snow on the ground look more like mid-January. Everything is brown and crusty. It is still ...

Last week I was at the grocery store on a Sunday afternoon. I was sans children, and when that happens a trip to the grocery store can feel like spring break. Last week I was at t ...

<p>This time of year I find myself humming the Olympic anthem throughout the day. The Vancouver games run Feb. 12-28; it is time to start dreaming of mogul runs and bobsled victories. For some reason I h ...

Racial reconciliation among evangelicals is one of those slippery topics that come and go based on which national leader is currently jazzed about it. Racial reconciliation among ...

<em>Time</em> magazine's Jan. Time magazine's Jan. 11 issue hit newsstands last week with a compelling teaser on its cover: "How Megachurches Are He ...

Last year I borrowed a copy of Doug Fine's book <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812977890?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=sojo_blog-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creat ...

<em>O come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant ...</em></p> O come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant ... It was a chilly December night in downto ...

It's time to haul out the Christmas lights and stockings, Advent calendars, and odd-shaped Santa pillows from grandparents. Every year I sort of dread dragging all the chaos out of the basement. ...

This morning as I was running on the treadmill, I was also watching CNN. A story came on about a shooting in Washington, D.C. The police chief was speaking, with the mayor of D.C looking on. ...

This past week I was walking home from the school drop-off with a newish friend. Swapping stories about the basics of our lives. Marital status, where we grew up, favorite pastimes. ...

It has been over a week since the news story broke of the <a href="http://blog.sojo.net/2009/09/30/a-prayer-for-derrion-albert/">deadly beating of 16 year old Derrion Albert</a> on Chicag ...

<p><a href="http://blog.sojo.net/2009/07/21/wal-marts-big-green-claim/">[continued from part 1]</a> ... Here is why I am not about to toss my kids into the car and dash out for chea ...

<p>Well color me happy (as the saying goes): Wal-Mart just released a big claim to be greening up its act. But what does their claim really mean and how do we define what corporate green looks like anywa ...

<p>Just a half-mile or so south of our home is the Illinois Prairie Path. It's an old rail line that was converted to a walking and biking path in the early 1960s. An electric line actually, that on ...

[<a href="http://blog.sojo.net/tag/new-monastics-and-race">see all posts in this conversation on New Monastics and race</a>.]</p> [ see all posts in t ...