God-talk and the Suffering of the Guilty

They have committed crimes most would see as purely evil and are responsible for the most severe moments of suffering in many people’s lives. Yet I hold that they, too, are sufferers.

Noah Black | Vanderbilt Synesis | Fall 2018

How Much Is a Little Girl Worth? Justice, Forgiveness, and Sexual Assault

For all the attention paid to Denhollander’s faith and forgiveness, some forget why she was actually in the courtroom: to support “the maximum possible sentence” possible for Dr. Nassar.

Aldis Petriceks | Stanford Vox Clara | Winter 2019

The Strange Persistence of Guilt: A Q&A with Wilfred McClay

"Guilt is a key aspect of what might be called our moral nervous system. It alerts us to our failures, and pushes us to make them right in some way."

Lynette Long | The Dartmouth Apologia | Fall 2017

Conversations that Change Minds

How can we facilitate meaningful dialogue between people with differing ideological beliefs?

Ronald Davis | MIT et Spiritus | Spring 2018

When in Doubt: The New Testament’s Veracity

When we say the Bible is “God-inspired,” “God-breathed” or “God’s Word” what do we mean? If it does not contain Jesus’s words, is it God’s Word? Is the New Testament verbatim of God? I thought it was.

Kelsey Waddill | The Hopkins Dialectic | Spring 2017

The Integration of Modern Psychology and the Philosophical Virtues in the Christian Worldview

A psychological professional who is truly concerned for an individual’s well-being ought to awaken them to a sense of their human dignity, to help them recognize disorders in their lives, and to accompany them along the path of healing and self-discovery.

Blake Tamez | The Vanderbilt Synesis | Fall 2016

On the Dignity of Sex

I myself have felt resentment and bitterness towards notions of “purity” and “chastity,” and rejected them as highly antiquated concepts that only objectified people.

A. S. Bethel | UC Berkeley TAUG | Spring 2017

A Non-Concealing Confession

This repentance must come from confession of sins and asking for forgiveness from God through prayer, but I also have come to believe that confession to others is at least a helpful, if not absolutely necessary part of this process.

Nate Lamb | Swarthmore Peripateo | Fall 2016

Impetus

I see a nation inundated with injustice, yet a Church that is silent.

Nia Campinha-Bacote | The Yale Logos | Spring 2016

What God Expects: The Paradox of the Standards of the Christian Community

Therefore, the standard to be Christian and to become part of the Christian community is to understand this paradox: we cannot achieve God’s standards.

Cindy Wu | The Cornell Claritas | Fall 2015

A House Built on Sand: Spirituality and Intellectual Honesty

College can be a great place to seek a faith that is both communal and individual, brought on by sincere reflection rather than indoctrination.

Pieter Hoekstra | Claremont Ekklesia | Spring 2015

Confession as Freedom

I would suggest that, logically, those who are the most enslaved are those who don’t even know that they’re slaves.

Nathan Otey | The Harvard Ichthus | Fall 2014

Making Peace with My Worst Enemy

As he talked about forgiving that enemy in your life, I wondered, how could I forgive myself when it was me who was causing the pain and yet not stopping it?

Zoë Wray | Swarthmore Peripateo | Spring 2014

Smeared Mascara and Baby Steps

I now believe that as I learned more and more about the nature of God, it became easier for me to be more patient with my sister, to let my guard down and not expect the worst, and to both forgive and forget when things got rocky.

Pauline Goodson | Swarthmore Peripateo | Spring 2014

Escaping the Prison of Guilt

It is important to acknowledge the harm that our sins cause, but the depth of one’s guilt should not be a standard for one’s moral worth.

Marcos Martinez | | The Columbia Cross & Cross

The Pain of Privilege

Because of this privilege, there are generally two ways Christians at Berkeley come to grips with this reality: the path characterized by guilt and the path characterized by obligation.

David Park | UC Berkeley TAUG | Fall 2013

Abundant Life, Abundant Love, and the Empty Tomb

At the empty tomb, I want to ask the same two questions as at the Cross - why is it necessary, and why is it possible?

Nathan Scalise | Swarthmore Peripateo | Fall 2013

Depression, Despair, and Hope at Harvard

Harvard’s Editor-in-Chief Reflects on Depression, Despair, and Hope

During my four years at Harvard, I contemplated committing suicide no less than three times. It wasn’t until I almost failed a class during my senior year that I realized that I struggle with depression.

Jordan Monge | The Harvard Ichthus Fish Tank |

Faith and Paradox: G.K. Chesterton’s Philosophy of Christian Paradox

Within its long history, Christianity has been accused of almost every kind of vice imaginable. Strangely enough, its critics have attacked it for contradictory reasons. Some have decried it for its unworldliness and pessimistic outlook on the material world. Others have condemned Christianity for blinding the people, giving false promises of divine mercy and a glorious afterlife. Hell, it is said, is a doctrine breeding despair; but Heaven, they say with equal vehemence, is a doctrine breeding false hope.

Chris Hauser | The Dartmouth Apologia | Volume 6, Issue 1, Fall 2011

He Is Risen: A Defense of the Historicity of the Resurrection

The resurrection is the foundation of the Christian faith; its occurrence either demonstrably proves Christianity as true or its falsity disproves the faith. Here I outline an argument for the physical, bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ – an argument similar to, albeit slightly more thorough and well-studied – than the one which persuaded me to become a Christian approximately two years ago.

Jordan Monge | The Harvard Ichthus | Volume 7, Number 2, Spring 2011

Surprised: Wordsworth on the Coexistence of Joy and Sorrow

William Wordsworth wrote this sonnet two years after the sudden death of his four-year-old daughter, Catherine, but in it he grieves as though not a day has gone by. When he cries out in misery, “How could I forget thee?” it is both rhetorical – indicative of how deeply he loved her – and guilt-stricken, having in fact let her slip from his mind.

Inez Tan | The Williams Telos | Issue 4, Fall 2010

September 2019