Whenever somebody talks about sex, ears perk up and strong reactions—both positive and negative—ensue. For a long time, I saw that as a sign that there was something fundamentally wrong with humanity, something inherently sinful. But I’ve come to realize that I had it backwards. We have this reaction because there is something fundamentally right with us.…
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It’s Just Not That Simple, People!
Sometimes I think you guys must get tired of me saying the same things over and over. Like this: The world isn’t black and white. I know everyone knows this, but people don’t act like they know it. I read an article yesterday called “The Rise of American Authoritarianism,” which addressed the bewilderment so many of…
Read MoreOn the Proper Etiquette of Text Messages
I am the weirdo in the room who doesn’t use a mobile phone. The sound quality is reason enough—I don’t like having to work so hard to understand what people say. And I find it cumbersome to have to punch in every letter—plus extra for capitals and punctuation—one-fingered. I am not a complete Luddite. I…
Read MoreMercy (or the lack of it) on the road to the White House
My title today probably evokes an instant reaction. Everyone is well aware of the nosedive in common courtesy—a baseline standard for treating others with mercy—shown by the candidates in this presidential election. And lest you think I’m aiming this only at one side of the Great Political Divide, let me say that I have only watched…
Read MoreWe Need a Thoughtful Discussion About Birth Control (A No Easy Answers Post)
There is a reason I generally don’t post about headlines: it takes me time to process things and make sure my first reactions all hold water. I hate the tendency to react without thinking, the way it leads us to view everything in black and white and fail to acknowledge the nuances in every situation,…
Read MoreMountains, Molehills, Contraception, and The Zika Virus
When I heard the radio headline yesterday afternoon, I groaned. Because I knew I was going to have to blog about the pope’s comments, and as a proponent of natural family planning, it would be hard to convince anyone that I’m approaching the topic objectively. But there under the awning of the Gerbes fuel station,…
Read MoreSyrian refugees: A Christian’s Responsibility
Friday afternoon, Nicholas sulked and glowered and procrastinated and found a dozen ways to avoid having to–gasp–clean the bathroom sinks. At last I snapped at him to think about the children who were crossing the sea in an inner tube in November and sleeping in the woods because it was too dangerous for them to…
Read MoreSmall Things, Great Love (Reblog)
The past two weeks. It has almost been too much to bear, all the heartache. All the hatred and the hurting and brokenness everywhere we turn. It is too much. I am tempted to shut it out: turn off the news, avoid the rapid-fire of social media politicking. Sink into my own comfortable life, where…
Read MoreAn Open Letter From An Unapologetic Christian to Those Who Are Up In Arms About Starbucks
To my fellow Christians who are up in arms about the so-called “war on Christmas”: Cut it out. No, really. Just stop. You’re giving all of us a bad name. And worse, you’re giving Christ a bad name. There is no war on Christmas. Christian America quite successfully corrupted Christmas into a free-for-all greed fest…
Read MoreA Christian Mom Talks Sex Ed
We spent the summer of 2015 preparing rooms and moving kids around the house. Partly, this was because Nicholas and Alex were driving us insane with their nonstop bickering. But even more so, it was because Julianna, at age 8, was still sharing a room with Michael, age 3. Let me illustrate the problem: Bath…
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Kathleen M. Basi 