Jonathan Merritt - On Faith and Culture
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Will Wheaton College fire hijab-wearing professor?

In a moment when relations between Christians and Muslims are so strained, claiming that adherents of the two religions worship the same God can be controversial. But when the person making such a claim is employed by an evangelical college, it might mean losing one’s job.

That could happen to political science professor Larycia Hawkins, who publicly claimed that Muslims and Christians “worship the same God.”  Hawkins, an Episcopalian, also decided to wear a hijab, a traditional Muslim head-covering, in solidarity with Muslims during the Advent season.

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December 17, 2015by Jonathan
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Learning to Speak God From Scratch

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  • It’s Monday, which means it is time to offer another creativity secret and give away one of my favorite things... . I’ve always thought of writing more as a calling and a job than a high art form. While other writers engage in all kinds of creative exercises to awaken their muse, I get up and write even in the absence of inspiration because, well, that’s my job. I have to pay rent whether my muse shows up or not. . But when I began to write my fourth book a few years ago, I took a multi-sensory approach. . When I considered my eyes, I discovered that certain levels of light were more generative for me than others. . When I considered my ears, I learned that chaotic noise produced chaotic thoughts. This helped me recognize that certain types of music greased the wheels of the creative process. (Hint: Music without lyrics.) . When I considered my nose, I realized that pleasant smells had a surprising way of rousing the inner-writer. A lingering stench from last night’s meatloaf had a away of slowing me down, while a well-chosen candle sped up the process. . Over time, I noticed I had a favorite candle: Maison Louie Marie No. 4 Bois de Balincourt. It has rich notes that morph from sandalwood to nutmeg, cinnamon and vetiver. . Today, I am giving away a select number of these lovely soy babies in hopes that it’s varied notes will tickle your nose and perhaps stir your spirit, too. LINK IN BIO OR GO TO JONATHANMERRITT.com. . 📸: @joannakosinskadesign #giveaway #writing #writingtips #writinginspiration #creativity
  • The French have poured into the streets of #Brooklyn to smoke cigarettes, pop bottles of champagne, and shout obscenities. So basically, the same thing they do every weekend. 😏 #VivaLaFrance 🇫🇷
  • “Prior to moving to New York, I resided in a suburban neighborhood in the heart of the Bible Belt. Almost all of my friends were Christian, and most of us attended the same type of church. The community in which I was immersed was so thoroughly Christian I sometimes forgot that other people practiced different religions or none at all. . “In this world, there was a kind of cultural Christian lingo that many speak and almost everyone else understands. If someone sneezed, a stranger might say, “God bless you.” The sneezer would not stop to think, What do you mean by “God?” Or by “bless?” If someone mentioned that they had been “saved” or “born again,” no follow-up question was needed. On meeting a new acquaintance, Southerners will usually ask where they attend church rather than if. . “I used religious language with ease in the South, rarely pausing to think about the meaning of my words. I grew up surrounded by these syllables of faith, used daily in my home and community. But I was not in Georgia anymore. . “The city taught me a tough lesson: Though I had penned columns about the intersection of ‘faith and culture’ from my Southern Christian enclave for years, as it turns out, pontificating about a post-Christian society is far easier than living in one. . “If you’ve ever felt this tension, maybe you need to join me for a little spiritual speech therapy. Let’s learn to speak God from scratch.” . LINK IN BIO - #speakgodbook
  • Five years ago, I had published three books and was ready to throw in the towel as an author. At 30 years old, I felt like I had nothing left to say. So I made a promise to myself: I would keep writing articles and news commentary, but I would not pen another book until a message burned in my bones and begged me to write it down. . That message sparked when I moved from the Bible Belt to New York City and ran into an unexpected language barrier. Sure, I could still order a hot dog from a street cart vendor and relay directions to a taxi cab driver. I could still speak English as well as I always had. But I could no longer “speak God.” . In one month–after nearly five years–I will release another book: “Learning to Speak God from Scratch: Why Sacred Words are Vanishing – and How We Can Revive Them.” . I believe this is my best book yet, but let me be clear: This book only exists because of YOU. . So every Monday for the next month, I want to give back to all of you who made this book possible by offering a behind-the-scenes sneak peek into the process that gave birth to my best book. And also, by giving away some of my favorite things! . On the first week, I want to share how “Learning to Speak God from Scratch” was written. Most people write exclusively on their computers, but handwriting greatly enhances the writing process. Though it sounds antiquated, picking up a pen and piece of paper can revolutionize your prose. I’ve found that it slows my brain down, allowing my thoughts to develop as I’m putting them down on paper. And there is something cathartic and tactile about the whole experience. . And that brings us to this week’s giveaway. I’m giving away a bunch of my favorite pens, a Caran D’Ache 849 Metal Ballpoint, which I used to write a huge chunk of this book. I love the feel of the metal casing and the ink dries quickly, which leads to less hand-smearing for a left handed writer like me. GO TO JONATHANMERRITT.COM *NOW* TO ENTER. You can register multiple times with the click of a button. ;) . #writing #writingtips #book #bookstagram #books #Mondays #mondayinspiration @penguinrandomhouse @waterbrookmultnomah #giveaway #giveaways #giveawaycontest
  • “When despair for the world grows in me and I wake in the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be // I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds. // I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief. // I come into the presence of still water. // And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their light. // For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free. - Wendell Berry, “The Peace of Wild Things”
  • I love America even when I am ashamed of her government’s policies, embarrassed by her leaders’ behaviors, incensed by her citizens’ silence in the face of injustice. In fact, it is because I love my country so much that I reserve the right to criticize her many current failings. On this July 4th, I pray that my beloved country would repent of its many sins and become an instrument of liberty and justice for all. (📸: @daniellesafieh)

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