Steveawiggins

LATEST ARTICLES ( 4659 )

• Nothing Better

  

  While it may seem that the largest challenge on a blog like this is writing all these words every day, that’s often not the case. Early on in my blogging life, ... Read more

  Posted on 23 December 2017 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Who Can You Call?

  

  They’re scratching their heads. The media, I mean. In this distorted world of Trumpism, newspapers have rediscovered religion. Read more

  Posted on 22 December 2017 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Remembering Catherine

  

  Literature has been on my mind lately. Although I’ve not read all of Charles Dickens’ oeuvre, he’s been in my consciousness what with the new movie and... Read more

  Posted on 21 December 2017 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Rookie Mistakes

  

  So now it’s got a stain on the cover. And it didn’t even come with a book jacket. Perhaps it’s symbolic? The year was 1993. I’d finished my doctorate at... Read more

  Posted on 20 December 2017 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Basic Catholic

  

  One thing upon which we all might agree is that we don’t have enough time. Publishers, eager to find an angle that will help them survive an age when we... Read more

  Posted on 19 December 2017 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Endings

  

  It’s hard not to feel sorry for survivors. In a hostile world, the ability to resist the entropy lapping at your toes is a feat that inspires admiration. Read more

  Posted on 18 December 2017 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• No Help Wanted

  

  Not talking to strangers is something that takes time to grow out of. Somewhere in the back of my mind lurks that fear of when my mother told me what to do if... Read more

  Posted on 17 December 2017 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Time Killer

  

  The internet, while it’s no longer free, still at least offers many opportunities to connect. No matter what your obscure passion, you’ll find others who share... Read more

  Posted on 16 December 2017 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Why Horror?

  

  Some people wonder why I like horror. Well, “like” is hardly the proper verb here, I’d rather go the passive route—why I’m compelled by horror. That fits better... Read more

  Posted on 15 December 2017 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Wise Women

  

  At a neighborhood holiday gathering the topic of a local living nativity came up. This year they need some wise men (don’t we all!) and some of the women... Read more

  Posted on 14 December 2017 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Inventing Christmas

  

  While not always classified among the most intellectual of writers, Charles Dickens was a complicated man. Able to conjure words that reflect emotions, often... Read more

  Posted on 13 December 2017 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• In Control

  

  Those who know me know that I treat my workdays like clockwork. I leave the apartment every day, catch the same bus, and leave work at the end of the day, all... Read more

  Posted on 12 December 2017 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Old Salt

  

  Time has been at a premium lately, but when I have a few spare moments I like to read the Oxford Dictionaries blog. Those of us who make a living with words... Read more

  Posted on 11 December 2017 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• The Art of Commuting

  

  You can tell when the holiday season settles on the city. The commute home takes longer because developers simply can’t ignore a highway and the potential it ha... Read more

  Posted on 10 December 2017 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Ravages and Kings

  

  I was recently thinking about King Saul. If it’s been a while for you, Saul was the “first king” of Israel, according to the books of Samuel. Saul had a problem... Read more

  Posted on 09 December 2017 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Anneliese Or Emily?

  

  If it weren’t for the movie The Exorcism of Emily Rose, the name of Anneliese Michel would undoubtedly be less recognized than it is. Read more

  Posted on 08 December 2017 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Dominus Flevit

  

  I couldn’t believe I was actually there. Ever since I was a child I’d read about this place. The city conquered by David and visited by Jesus. The city around... Read more

  Posted on 07 December 2017 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Spiritual Education

  

  The water was hot. Notoriously hot. Our Junior High School had been built in the days of the prison esthetic, with heavy, cinderblock walls painted in penitent... Read more

  Posted on 06 December 2017 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Not So Gnostic

  

  A certain, amorphous indignation comes over those of us trained in history when we encounter abuses of the same. In my case, some thought me conservative when... Read more

  Posted on 05 December 2017 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Someone to Blame

  

  There’s many ways to look at monsters. A friend recently sent me an Atlas Obscura article “The Modern Lives of Medieval Monster Scholars” by Cara Giaimo. Read more

  Posted on 04 December 2017 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY