Category: Blog
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The letter I sent about our new gatherings in Cincinnati
Dear Friends, As I shared at our last potluck, I’m not alone in longing for a regular, content-driven gathering that’s overtly focused on pursuing love as way of life. Indeed, it appears that the main obstacle to launching such a gathering isn’t a lack of interest, but rather the lack of an affordable space big…
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Bart’s Book List (Part 2)
Bart’s Book List (Part 2) Here’s the second half (or a little more than half) of my reading list, and please check out our accompanying in-depth bonus podcast episode over on Patreon, just for podcast insiders, partners and supporters! Here are the books we talk about in the bonus episode: Reclaiming Conversation – Sherry Turkle…
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Bart’s Book List (Part 1)
People often ask for a list of books that I would recommend. The list has changed a little over time, but we figured we’d put it out in two ways: a simple list here on my blog for everybody, and a more in-depth bonus podcast episode over on Patreon just for podcast supporters! So, here…
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Interfaithless Barbecue Beach Party details
In brief: On Saturday, May 19th, on the sandy shores of the Southern California coast, will be the 9th Interfaithless Barbecue Beach Party at Bolsa Chica State Beach, California. This event is hosted by my friend Morris Bird, who appeared on Humanize Me after the party last May (Episode 211 HERE). You must RSVP with…
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You Can Do Love
Last month I had a great time sharing this message with the good – and mostly secular – folks at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Cincinnati, just around the corner from my old house in Walnut Hills. I’m not sure what it said in the program, but it should have been titled, “You Can…
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A Lenten Journal Entry
I’m not the world’s best blogger, but here’s the entry I wrote for Randy Evans, a Christian missionary who’s putting together a Lenten devotional for street people in Wilmington, North Carolina. The other contributors (Richard Rohr, Shane Claiborne, Sarah Heath, Stanley Hauerwas, Bishop Hope Morgan Ward, Doug Pagitt, etc.) are all prominent believers, so I…
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A Humanist Dinner Prayer
When I was at USC, the students and I developed the pre-meal ritual of stopping for a few moments to silently look around the group, making slightly prolonged eye contact and smiling with three or four people in turn, as a way of communicating to each one, “I’m glad you’re here, and that we have food to…
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Me at Chautauqua
Chautauqua Institution is a really cool, interfaith, historic retreat center in southwestern New York state, and it’s a hive of activity each summer as over 100,000 people converge on the place to listen to lectures, enjoy music, eat incredible food, play sports and enjoy beaches and parkland. My dad has spoken there many times, and…
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White Heron
by John Ciardi What lifts the heron leaning on the air I praise without a name. A crouch, a flare, a long stroke through the cumulus of trees, a shaped thought at the sky–then gone. O rare! Saint Francis, being happiest on his knees, would have cried Father! Cry anything you please But praise. By…
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Three links
Hey there! Thanks so much for all your interest in my story of coming out of Christianity and into secular humanism. There are three separate ways you can find out more about this: (1) Mark Oppenheimer’s great piece in the New York Times Magazine, which you can read right away HERE if you haven’t already….