Remembering educator Harold Heie’s art of helping Americans to talk constructively with each other, even in tough times.

“Harold Heie practices what he preaches—which is civil conversation, from a serious Christian theological perspective, amid a context of brutal division. He doesn’t just theorize about the essential challenge—he creates contexts that model the way forward.”
Christian ethicist David Gushee on Harold Heie’s contribution to American life

Harold Heie (1935-2024)—
A Bridge Builder who Devoted Himself to Teaching Civility

By DAVID CRUMM
Editor of ReadTheSpirit magazine

NOVEMBER 2024—To Dr. Harold Heie, our friend: This is a heart-felt salute to your remarkable life. We’ve lost you just when your gifts are needed so urgently in the deeply divided America that we know you loved so much.

How timely is Dr. Heie’s body of work? This month (November 2024) I’ve learned that Dr. Heie had received a series of requests to appear on podcasts—and to do interviews with journalists—on the central question of his work: How can we bring people together across the political chasm that has deeply divided America?

Unfortunately for all of us who remember him as a gracious scholar and a compassionate guide to “difficult conversations,” Dr. Heie died Monday, November 18, at age 89 in the Sanborn, Iowa, area. He is survived by his wife Pat.

Harold Heie and his twin brother John were born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1935 to a family of recent immigrants from Norway. He had an early conversion experience to follow Jesus at a Lutheran Brethren Church in Brooklyn—but his early interest was mathematics and science. As an undergraduate, he studied mechanical engineering at the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn; he earned a masters in mechanical engineering at the University of Southern California and a doctorate in aerospace sciences at Princeton University. For a while, he worked at the Hughes Aircraft Company in California.

However, for most of his life, Dr. Heie used his pragmatic intellect and his deep faith in service as a college administrator and innovative program director at several colleges, including Gordon in Wenham, Mass., Northwestern in Orange City, Iowa, and Messiah in Grantham, Pennsylvania. He also was widely in demand as an educational consultant with institutions nationwide.

In our tribute to Dr. Heie’s life, I’m intentionally listing all those colleges (above) because some of his former students may stumble across this column honoring our long-time friend and colleague.

What transformed Dr. Heie’s national reputation mostly occurred, though, after his “retirement” in 2003. That’s when he really focused on his Respectful Conversation Project—a way to research and model along with real-life participants a better way to bring people together to talk about their differences. Much of the Project’s website is now dormant, but this “About” page includes a video of a sermon by Dr. Heie in 2012 in which he spoke about the convictions behind his work.

The Seeds of Dr. Harold Heie’s Wisdom

Dr. Heie’s key insight about bringing people from diverse backgrounds together for conversation is that any such gathering should begin by focusing on what we share. If we start there, our differences won’t seem so daunting.

My last interview with Dr. Heie was in 2019, when he described what he was doing in his Respectful Conversation Project and in his then-brand-new book, Reforming American Politics: A Christian Perspective on Moving Past Conflict to Conversation.

“Every Christian knows that we must love our neighbors,” Dr. Heie told me. “We all know that. There is no way to escape that truth. And, when I use the term ‘Christian,’ I am referring to anyone, whatever their particular denomination or tradition might be, who personally trusts in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as decisive for salvation and redemptive of the entire created order. Anyone who aspires to be a follower of Jesus must follow the two great love commandments taught by Jesus: love of God and love for neighbor.”

“So what’s the problem?” I asked him.

“We all know we’re supposed to love our neighbors—but we don’t agree about how to express that love,” he answered. “A lot of Christians wind up violating our values about providing a safe and welcoming space for those who disagree with us. This is a real tragedy because, if we’ve lost our focus on love of neighbor, then we’ve really lost our way.”

I told Heie, “As a journalist specializing in covering religion, I’ve been reporting on these conflicts, sometimes called culture wars, that have been convulsing the religious landscape for many decades—certainly since the 1960s. Now, we’re at a point when many so-called ‘Christians’ are angrier than I’ve ever seen them. These are our fellow Americans. How did we get so angry?”

“There are many ways to begin answering that question,” he said. “But I think the main problem today is what I refer to as tribalism. We have segregated ourselves into tribal groups where we tell ourselves: We have the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth about the issue at hand. And, if anyone outside our tribe dares to talk about this issue? We know they clearly don’t have the truth. We don’t need to listen to them.”

“To some extent, we’ve always seen that kind of conflict, haven’t we?” I asked him.

“Yes, to a certain extent, tribalism always has been a part of American history. So, why is tribalism getting so much worse now? I think social media has made a major contribution. Social media is not conducive to real conversation. In fact, social media tends to insulate us and often precludes real conversation. The deeper we go into our tribal social media, the less opportunities we have to learn something from someone who disagrees with us. Adding to that problem of isolation is our obsession with speed in communication today. People don’t have time for the complex conversations we need to explore the most important issues we face today. Working through alternative points of view is a laborious process. Learning from each other takes time. What most people want today is an answer that will fit into a Tweet.”

Yes, There Are Christian Values and Virtues that Promote Conversation

Click the cover to visit the book’s Amazon page.

Throughout this unusual book—Reforming American Poplitics—readers meet Dr. Heie and 23 of his online discussion partners. In this particular phase of Dr. Heie’s overall project, these partners focused on the timeless values and virtues that can move Christians away from the current climate of conflict. Then, in his final chapter, Heie devotes 30 pages to a detailed overview of these values, easily organized with sub-heads so that the material flows logically from one lesson to the next. This section is perfectly laid out to help discussion leaders present these ideas to a group or class in a step-by-step manner.

Dr. Heie begins with Love, Humility, Courage, Respect, Truth, Shalom, Justice, Patience and Hope. Then, he offers suggestions for applying these values in the world today. Among his many recommendations:

  • Develop personal relationships of mutual understanding by listening to and talking with those who disagree with you.
  • Move from understanding to trust.
  • Convene respectful conversations and expect civility.

Tips for Congregations Hoping to Encourage Conversation

In our interview, Dr. Heie stressed that starting his kind of small group requires thoughtful preparation.

“This reflects my hard-earned experience with what has and hasn’t worked for me,” he said. “You can’t hope to have a really good conversation unless you devote the first session to discussing the purpose of the conversation—and the ground rules. In our first sessions, we don’t talk about the main political topic at all. I always start with two leading questions: Why are you interested in being part of this group? And: What do you hope the end result will be from this group? We give people a chance to respond without interruption. The whole point of starting with that kind of session is to get used to listening to each other. We hear personal stories. We begin to understand more about what shapes each person’s way of thinking.

“Then, I lay out my five ground rules for conversation and I say plainly: ‘If you’re not going to abide by these five ground rules, don’t come back.’ That’s why I tried to spell out those ground rules in my new book.”

Readers will find that portion of his book beginning on page 388 with sub-heads over helpful sections that include:

  • Develop personal relationships of mutual understanding
  • Move from understanding to trust
  • Convene respectful conversations and expect civility (a section that includes Heie’s five bullet points)
  • Reach across the aisle, or table, seeking both/and positions

Dr. Heie’s book really is a complete tool kit for teachers, community leaders and moderators of the millions of small discussion groups and classes that meet regularly in congregations coast to coast.

And, I am not alone in saying this.

“Harold Heie practices what he preaches—which is civil conversation, from a serious Christian theological perspective, amid a context of brutal division. He doesn’t just theorize about the essential challenge—he creates contexts that model the way forward. This book is an impressive example of what Heie is about. I strongly recommend it—and the practices it embodies.”

So says the Rev. Dr. David Gushee, author of Changing Our Mind.

Dr. Harold Heie’s work sounds pretty timely doesn’t it?

So, perhaps our readers can understand our sorrow at his lost—just when we could have used his expertise more than ever.

Stay Tuned—

As a man of science, Dr. Heie donated his body to the Sanford School of Medicine at the University of South Carolina. There are no immediate plans for a memorial service.

As the publisher of one of Dr. Heie’s books most important books, we will continue to receive news about him—and we will share with our readers if there is an update on plans to honor his life and legacy.

Rusty Rosman endorses Missy Buchanan’s new book as a true ‘touchstone for living through heartache’

Click the cover to visit the book’s Amazon page.

Two experts on end of life meet over Missy’s new memoir, ‘Feeling Your Way Through Grief’


EDITOR’S NOTE: Missy Buchanan is famous for writing about the spiritual values that strengthen us as we age. She is beloved by her thousands of readers because of her absolute honesty about the tough challenges we all face near the end of life—and also about the resilience we can reliably draw from our faith. That’s why her readers now are so warmly welcoming Missy back with her new memoir, Feeling Your Way through Grief, which tells how Missy made it through the many personal milestones she faced after the death of her husband. Rusty Rosman became one of Missy’s friends when Rusty published her own new book about planning for the end of life, called Two Envelopes. In fact, Missy first wrote about the death of her husband in a special Foreword Missy wrote for Rusty’s book. Now, both authors are crisscrossing the country talking to men and women about the need—first and foremost—to talk honestly about these issues now, before they become a reality in their lives. Our online magazine asked Rusty to reflect on Missy’s book. Here is what Rusty wrote about her friend’s work …


By RUSTY ROSMAN
Author of Two Envelopes

Grief hurts.

Missy Buchanan’s new book breaks your heart.

Her grief after the death of her husband is tangible in nearly every page of Feeling Your Way through Grief. As Missy acknowledges, life goes on—but the question is: How are we supposed to live it?

As I read through Missy’s short chapters, based on her experiences during the first year without her husband, I could see what was down the road for me or my husband when one of us dies. Each of us knows we will keep on breathing—but can we really appreciate how much our living is tied so intricately with our partner?

We share a home, laugh, cry, fight, eat, reminisce, plan, and do so many other things together—how will it be possible to do those things alone, someday?

Missy’s book lifts the veil that covers grief for most of us. Loneliness is a huge part of it but that’s just one part.

The loss of a spouse cuts deeper into our very definition as individuals. When death comes for one of us, suddenly we lose our definition of ourselves as part of a unit.  It’s gone, never to be what it was again.  Where is that old confidence that you can do anything because your partner is there to support you, laugh or shake their head at you?

You still can do anything—but the will and the satisfaction may vanish.

Page by page, Missy shares each new “first” after her husband’s death—and how beyond imaginable it is to navigate the new world she lives in without her husband. It breaks your heart and, at the same time, touches that part of you that recognizes the truths Missy shares.  Each of us dreads that day when it’s our turn to learn what Missy now knows.

As the author of Two Envelopes: What You Want Your Loved Ones to Know When You Die, I talk with readers every week about these universal issues in our lives. Through these nationwide conversations, I have learned what will touch and help readers in their grief.

And, I can tell you a couple of things that I know are true about Feeling Your Way Through Grief:

If you are married, then this book will touch you. You’ll know right away that Missy’s book is real.

And that’s the central truth that guides both of us in our work: Honesty.

Thank you, Missy for this wonderful new book that can become a touchstone for living through heartache.  I highly recommend this book as a validation of your feelings—feelings that so many of us are not even aware will be coming.

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Care to learn more?

Visit Missy Buchanan’s website to learn much more about her ongoing work and her many books.

Visit Rusty Rosman’s website to learn about her ongoing schedule as she continues, like Missy, to help groups of men and women across the country engage with these issues we all will encounter someday.

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Suddenly battling aggressive cancer again, Howard Brown reminds all of us that the key to survival is a caring community

Leading Advocate for Families with Cancer Finds Himself Back in a Fight for His Life 

By DAVID CRUMM
Editor of ReadTheSpirit magazine

He’s still shining brightly.

I know because I’ve talked to Howard regularly since his shocking diagnosis just a week ago revealed: The man who is known for surviving two different extremely long-shot stage IV bouts with cancer—and now heads a nationwide network helping to support cancer patients and their families—has just been hit by a third form of very aggressive cancer.

“This was a shock! It took me completely by surprise—my doctors, too,” Howard said from his Detroit-area hospital room where he is receiving daily chemotherapy. This time the cancer is Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), which had been invisibly devastating his body for weeks.

To read the now-famous stories of how Howard overcame two virtual death sentences from oncologists already, in his life, get a copy of his memoir Shining Brightly. Today, among his many advocacy roles in health care and interfaith relationships, Howard serves as chairman of the board of Paltown Development Foundation, a vast network of thousands of patients, caregivers and their families battling colorectal cancer. That was the second of three cancer diagnoses in Howard’s life.

How did Howard not know that cancer had come calling again?

He didn’t—and that’s an important part of this story. He didn’t suspect cancer was back—nor did his longtime oncologist friend who Howard sees for regular checkups. The only reason they discovered the AML, last week, before a catastrophic collapse was that Howard knew the drill: Something had changed unexpectedly in his body—which meant he had to call and get checked.

In fact, Howard is so healthy from a lifetime of attending to his fitness that, when his doctor friend first read his blood tests at Beaumont Hospital—the doctor assumed the lab report was flat-out wrong.

He apologized to Howard: “We’ve got to run this test again, Howard, because somehow the test is screwed up. If your blood levels were this bad, you’d be wheeled in here on your back—not strolling in here after a long walk. Howard, something’s wrong here, but it may just be this test itself. We’ll do it again right now.”

So, an entire second set of blood tests were taken and processed and, the moment Howard’s doctor saw that second lab report, his jaw dropped.

“Howard?” Then, the doctor paused, the news obvious on his face.

“It’s bad—isn’t it? Take your time,” Howard said—his first instinct was to reassure his doctor.

The doctor was shaking his head in disbelief. “There’s no way your condition has gotten this bad and you’re not just on the floor—I’ve never seen blood levels like this on a patient who’s walking around as healthy-looking as you.”

“Well, one thing I can tell you is: I’m sure glad I didn’t overlook that bruise that suddenly appeared on my arm,” Howard told the doctor. “I was just been playing some pretty heavy-duty basketball with friends and I thought the bruise was from a foul. I might have just dismissed it, but then I thought: Oh, well, I know the drill. It’s a sudden bruise. Something changed in my body—so I should check. But you’re right, I feel fine! I just took a five-mile walk.”

The doctor, who has known Howard for years, could not stop shaking his head. “No more ball playing for you, Howard. Your immune system is gone. I think your bone marrow has stopped working. If you catch a cold from someone else—especially flu or COVID—you’re going to die. Your immune system is shot—and that is very serious.”

Howard was sent into isolation in a Beaumont oncology section. He had enough energy to make a few calls—including one to me, his long-time friend and editor—and to post a few items online. Then, almost immediately, friends from around the world jumped in to reassure Howard that they’re providing many forms of support. Because Howard knows about the high costs of battling cancer at this level, one early post he made was a GoFundMe campaign headlined: HBstrong! Support Howard Brown—3rd cancer—AML.

Already, as of this story’s deadline, 160 donors have contributed nearly $46,000—and the fund continues to grow.

Howard’s mantra: Keep the focus on ways we all can help others

Even after such a stunning blow, Howard’s focus has been on encouraging his friends to do good toward other people, as well. That’s a natural expression of Howard’s life.

Yes, his GoFundMe page is an appeal for donations—but here’s the rest of his list for ways people “can do for me in my time of need”:

  • Please send prayers and hugs
  • Consider donating blood and/or platelets where you live. I will need transfusions—but so do many others.
  • Be kind to others.
  • Hug your family and friends for no reason.
  • And, keep shining brightly always!

The response across a half dozen social media platforms, email, text, phone and other media was so overwhelming that, when I was talking to Howard a few days ago, I suggested: “Can we publish a story in ReadTheSpirit?”

“Ohhh, you know that would help a lot,” he said. “I feel bad that I have not been able to keep up with individual responses to all the ways people have reached out to me. You know how—”

I cut him off. “Yes, of course! I know how you can’t rest until you respond to friends. I’m the editor of your memoir and of countless columns you’ve written in recent years. I know that you’re disciplined to respond to each note and act of kindness with a personal ‘thanks’ of some kind. It must be driving you crazy to feel so much incoming love—and you can’t keep up with responding to each person.”

He laughed. “You know me! Yeah, I’m thinking of each and every one who has reached out. I want to tell each one how much it means to me that they took a moment to reach out.”

“Well, for now,” I said. “I’m going to tell this story in ReadTheSpirit and I want you to lay back and let the Beaumont staff take you through the next 30 days of chemo. Don’t worry. We’ll get your word of “Thanks!” out there for everyone.”

Howard’s ‘Ace in the Hole’

“One thing that keeps me going everyday is that my twin sister, CJ, is still my Ace in the Hole,” Howard told me. “If I can make it through these 30 days of chemo, then we meet down at Karmanos in Detroit and we’re praying that a stem cell transplant from CJ to me will save my life again—just like it did in my first battle with cancer years ago.

Readers of Howard’s memoir Shining Brightly know that having a twin does not necessarily mean that a match is possible—but, in what the Brown family considers a miracle, CJ proved to be an exact match years ago. Her cells saved Howard’s life by kick-starting his own bone marrow to produce healthy cells again.

“And, it’s not 100 percent certain, but we hope that will happen again,” Howard told me. “First, then, I’ve got to make it that far.”

No question: Howard’s life could end before CJ can give him that priceless gift. That’s why Howard and his entire family especially value prayers. Two of Howard’s closest clergy friends—rabbis who have become dear friends through the years (and who also appear in his biography)—are spending time with Howard.

As of the deadline for this November 4, 2024, issue of our magazine, Howard said to let people know that he is determined to beat cancer once again—and that prayer and spiritual reassurance is a true lifeline for all cancer patients.

“And, so far, I’m holding up. Yes, I know the chemo will catch up to me soon and will slow me down, but for now—it’s early days and the doses are still low enough that I’m able to get up and walk around. I need to keep as fit as I can. Mainly, I’m overwhelmed with thankfulness for all of the kind wishes—the response to my Go Fund Me campaign and the prayers that I know people are wrapping around me every day! I feel very grateful.

“The one thing I regret is that I simply don’t have the time and energy to respond individually to the thousands—and that’s literally thousands—of notes and best wishes people are sending me from around the world,” he said to me. “The more I think about your invitation, David, I think your plan to write something for the whole ReadTheSpirit audience is one way that I can convey my thankfulness for all the people who are reaching out with support.”

I told Howard: “Well, when I saw the tidal waves of responses you’re getting, that’s why I thought of writing this column with you. No one wants to invade your privacy—but all of us who know your story understand that the key to surviving this truly life-threatening crisis is connecting with other people.”

“I’ve always said that, haven’t I?” Howard chuckled. “You know what I’m going to say next, don’t you?”

“Fighting cancer is a team sport,” I said. “You always say that.”

“Right. The key to surviving this kind of battle is accepting help from a caring community—and I’ve got excellent doctors and lots of dear friends surrounding me right now. And what else do I say?”

“Keep shining brightly.”

“That’s right,” he said. “Whatever happens to me—we all need to pitch in to make this world a better place. That’s what gets me out of bed every morning—and that’s no different right now. We’ve all got to keep shining brightly.”

Howard Brown and his twin sister CJ enjoying a sunny day before his recent diagnosis.

 

Duncan Newcomer’s long-awaited “big book” on the spiritual life of Abraham Lincoln finds a home at Santos Press

A nationwide community of readers awaits this version of ‘Quiet Fire’

By DAVID CRUMM
Editor of ReadTheSpirit

Long-time followers of Lincoln scholar Duncan Newcomer have been awaiting Duncan’s “magnum opus” on the spiritual values that Abraham Lincoln brought to our deeply divided nation. Now, Conrad Kanagy, a sociologist, religion scholar and the founder of Santos Press, has announced that he will be working with Duncan in 2025 to finally publish what Duncan has been describing to audiences as his “big book.” The working title, we’re told, is Quiet Fire: The Spiritual Life of Abraham Lincoln.

This comes as wonderful news to Duncan’s myriad of friends nationwide—including a long list of journalists (Duncan has appeared many times in ReadTheSpirit magazine and has befriended readers, as well, through The Christian Science Monitor) and noted authors such as Peter Wallace, Greg Garrett, Jon Sweeney and Bob Cornwall (all four of whom are online friends of Kanagy’s publishing efforts).

For writers and editors who specialize in exploring spiritual values—especially those values that might help Americans navigate today’s deeply divided national landscape—this announcement is good news in troubling times.

What is “Quiet Fire”?

That two-word phrase has become the trademark for Duncan’s many public reflections on Lincoln over the years, whether on public radio or via newspapers, magazines, books, podcasts and public appearances. Duncan now is credited among Lincoln scholars for coining that evocative phrase to describe the deep core of Lincoln’s beliefs and personality.

As evidence of his influence with that phrase, Google’s AI summary currently reports:

While there isn’t a directly attributed quote from Abraham Lincoln that explicitly says “quiet fire,” the phrase is often used to describe his character, signifying a deep inner strength and resolve that was not outwardly flamboyant but rather quietly powerful; this association has been popularized by writers and historians who study Lincoln’s life and personality, particularly in works like Duncan Newcomer’s book “Quiet Fire, the Spiritual Life of Abraham Lincoln.”

To hear Duncan describe the origins of the phrase himself, watch this video interview with Conrad Kanagy, which recently was posted as part of Kanagy’s early promotion of the upcoming book.

You’re welcome to prepare for the big book’s release with daily doses of ‘Quiet Fire’

Part of Duncan Newcomer’s success in fostering a national awareness of Lincoln’s deep spiritual foundations rests on Duncan’s persuasive ways of making friends with other scholars and media professionals nationwide. Among his friends, for example, is The Christian Science Monitor’s Mark Sappenfield, who took over the reins of that storied newspaper in 2017. Mark’s own interest in probing spiritual and moral perspectives on American life has led to a long-standing series of connections between Duncan and that newspaper.

Duncan also convinced public radio producers to let him experiment with this theme in a series of short broadcasts that eventually reached a total of about 300 episodes.

“Since its beginning, radio has offered a warm medium for connecting the heart, the head, and the imagination. This delightful collection of Lincoln’s wisdom was seeded in a creative radio show, Quiet Fire,” said Sally Kane, former CEO of the National Federation of Community Broadcasters, the network where this series was born on local WERU, a station in mid-coastal Maine. “Now, Quiet Fire has morphed into a daily companion for readers who connect the dots between time and space to map a new understanding of the chaotic times in which we live. Lincoln’s words resonate more urgently than ever, and Duncan has played alchemist in Quiet Fire to one of our country’s greatest souls and distilled an essence that can guide and comfort us.”

Click on the cover to visit the book’s Amazon page.

Meanwhile, Duncan already had become a popular contributing columnist in ReadTheSpirit magazine—and our publishing house produced a 30-day book based on his Quiet Fire broadcasts. That book is part of our ongoing series of “30 Days With” inspirational readers. Duncan’s Lincoln volume is titled: 30 Days with Abraham Lincoln—Quiet Fire.

However, beyond all of those waves of Duncan Newcomer media on the theme of Lincoln’s Quiet Fire—there still was a much longer manuscript sitting in Duncan’s office in Maine. In that magnum opus, Duncan wove together threads from Lincoln’s life into a larger tapestry that Duncan hoped would stand the test of time as an essential scholarly perspective on Lincoln’s spirit, faith and values.

That’s where Conrad Kanagy stepped into this network of relationships. Kanagy is best known nationally as the biographer of theologian Walter Brueggemann. Conrad also has been a popular professor of sociology at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania. In the fall of 2024, Conrad announced he would retire after the current academic year—which will give him more time to work with the independent publishing house he founded in Elizabethtown, Santos Books.

When Conrad learned about Duncan’s body of work—and the unpublished “big book”—he began his efforts to grow Duncan’s audience by bringing the archive of those hundreds of original Quiet Fire public radio episodes to Spotify for easy access in coming years.

As a result, right now if you’d care to start on your own relationship with Duncan—and his vision of Abraham Lincoln as a spiritual mentor for our times—simply visit that Spotify link and you’ll find the first group of episodes.

Duncan, Conrad and Abraham: ‘A Perfect Fit’

Conrad says he’s proud to play this crucial role in Duncan’s vast national network of colleagues.

“The goal of our publishing company is to tell the sacred stories of individuals through biography, memoir, or autobiography,” Conrad said this week. “By sacred, I mean those stories that are special, unique, set apart, from the ordinary and everyday way we think of ourselves.”

That’s why his publishing house is such an important vocational step for him, Conrad said. “The goal of Santo Books is to share our stories so that each individual in our books can be seen as God sees them: loved by God, belonging to God, lovable to God—even those who don’t believe in God.”

So, the latest “chapter” in the overall story of Duncan’s and Lincoln’s “Quiet Fire” will come from Conrad’s press in 2025—because, as Conrad puts it, “Duncan’s story of Abraham Lincoln is a perfect fit—both in terms of how he saw others, but also in terms of how clearly he understood the sacredness of the other.”

And amid the deep chasms in American life and culture right now, Conrad says, there’s not a more important message to publish.

Stay tuned to ReadTheSpirit magazine for further news about the availability of this new book in 2025. We have asked Conrad and Duncan to alert us to the book’s availability for pre-sale, when it is listed on Amazon in 2025. As soon as we hear that good news—we’ll share it with all of you.

Ken Kemp introduces the ‘Sanctuary’ story to a national audience via his ‘Beached White Male’ podcast

Look at these two illustrations—above and on the book cover below:
Where do you want to be?

By DAVID CRUMM
Founding Editor of ReadTheSpirit magazine

Click the cover to visit the book’s Amazon page.

A few years ago, at the height of COVID, Ken Kemp launched his popular podcast The Beached White Male. He thanked the editors of Newsweek magazine for coining that ironic phrase in a now-famous 2011 cover story about the disappointments of underachieving white men. Ken used that banner to try to knock some sense into older guys like himself—urging them to stop moping and start recognizing the beautiful world emerging around them.

From the start, Ken knew that he—for one—didn’t want to surrender to isolation and exclusion either from COVID or from the many barriers thrown up by anxious and often angry white men in recent years. Instead, Ken has explored the ever-growing circle of communities that embrace inclusivity as a part of their expression of God’s love.

A Message of Hope from a Master Storyteller

Ken’s message is one of hope—that we don’t have to react to change, conflict and chaos in our world by feeling left behind, isolated or “beached.” In fact, as Ken puts it, God’s love is broad enough to make room for all of us—if we only recognize that we can be part of that caring community.

As a podcaster, Ken has a welcoming voice, a storyteller’s talents and a masterful way of unfolding interviews with his guests. That’s especially true in this recent podcast-conversation with Dr. Thomas Wassink, co-author of the new book: Sanctuary.

‘I Couldn’t Put it Down’

As he introduces this podcast, Ken tells listeners: “I’ve got a new book for you today. First, the title of this book was intriguing to me. It got my attention! Its full title is Sanctuary—Queering a Church in the Heartland. And by “heartland” we’re talking about the university town of Iowa City, Iowa. Well, I had to get a deeper look. So, I got my hands on a copy, I started reading—and I couldn’t put it down! And today you’re going to hear my conversation with one of the three authors of this book.”

In the course of his conversation with Tom, Ken also reads a brief passage from the book’s Foreword, written by bestelling Christian author Brian McLaren. The words Ken reads from that Foreword are a challenge to readers: “Often, whether it has to do with racial equality, gender equality, economic justice, or equality of sexual orientation—religious institutions are among the very last to change, which means that they are also the last to cease doing harm. So here is this book—a gift. It’s a series of often humorous, often poignant, sometimes heartbreaking, and always well-told stories and reflections—to help us all rethink what is normal or queer, what is sacred or scandalous, what is bad or good. We may just become better people in the process. May it be so!”

Intrigued?

Well, we can tell you: This new book can be a valuable companion for the tens of thousands of congregations nationwide that are currently in the process of trying to become more inclusive. Please, listen to Ken Kemp and Dr. Thomas Wassink talk about this unique journey in Iowa City—and, when you’re done, please share this week’s Cover Story with friends across social media and email.

You can listen to this Beached White Male podcast with Ken Kemp and Dr. Thomas Wassink right here:

Care to learn more?

You can learn more about Ken Kemp and enjoy all of his podcasts at his home online: The Beached White Male.

You can order your own copy of Sanctuary—Queering a Church in the Heartland in hardcover, paperback or Kindle formats from Amazon. This new book also is available from Barnes & Noble, Walmart and wherever quality books are sold.

Joe Grimm’s review of Detroit Free Press veteran John Gallagher’s memoir, ‘Rust Belt Reporter’

Stories from a Journalist Looking for Signs of Detroit’s Comeback

Review by JOE GRIMM
Founder of the MSU School of Journalism Bias Busters project

Click on the cover to visit the book’s Amazon page.

John Gallagher went off in search of good stories and found some great ones.

In his memoir, Rust Belt Reporter, Gallagher shares a lot of his best ones about Detroit and the Detroit Free Press, where he wrote them.

Gallagher accepted a reporting gig at the newspaper in 1987, attracted by the gritty charm he saw in Detroit and wanting to indulge his passion for urban affairs. The city and the “characters” in the newsroom intrigued him. While he was never what one would call a character himself, Gallagher was a wry observer of what went on around him. I worked with him at the Free Press from his arrival until I left in 2008. Gallagher’s modus operandi was to punch out solid, insightful copy without drama.

That same talent makes Rust Belt Reporter a fun, informative read.

Gallagher writes that, when he started at the Free Press, the newsroom had a payroll of 320. When he retired in late 2019, the staff had been hollowed out to fewer than 100. Readers—and the ad dollars they attract—had fled to the web.

The Free Press seemed like a small reflection of the City of Detroit, which hit a high-water census tally of 1.85 million residents in 1950 and fell to 640,000 in 2020.

While it took the city 70 years to lose nearly two thirds of its population, newsroom staffing at the paper fell further and twice as fast. It shrank by more than two-thirds in Gallagher’s 32-year tenure. People with institutional knowledge were bought out, laid off or fled. Departments once deemed essential for quality journalism were cut or outsourced. The traditional business model of great newspapers was trashed.

As this happened to them, Gallagher and his colleagues chronicled the siphoning of jobs and wealth from Detroit to the suburbs, the South and overseas. They detailed the disintegration of city services and education, drug wars, auto company bailouts, the imprisonment of a corrupt mayor and the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history. Houses, stores and factories were abandoned and razed. Once-grand schools, the largest department store in the world and a hospital were left open to scrappers and demolished.

The details of the Free Press’ swoon were no less dramatic. It shackled itself to its former rival, The Detroit News, in the nation’s largest Joint Operating Agreement. The newspapers combined most departments while insisting they were still competitors. The arrangement contributed to a grinding 19-month strike. Gallagher walked the picket line with colleagues from both newspapers and was later talked into being union president. The papers’ landmark buildings were sold, and workers shuffled off to ever-smaller rented quarters. Their industry-leading owners, Gannett and Knight Ridder, swapped papers with each other and eventually, to save money, stopped delivering the paper daily.

Gallagher wrote books about architecture and how Detroit and other cites could be—had to be—reimagined on a smaller scale. Visitors seeking photos of Detroit’s infamous “ruin porn” asked him for tour tips.

Gallagher kept picking away at the rust. And eventually, he wrote, “in my daily work covering the city I saw more and more encouraging signs. And these disparate elements would set the stage for what the world finally noticed was a remarkable urban turnaround.”

This year, reports by other journalists say Detroit is showing its first population growth since the 1950s. Positive signs are shining through in many places. “Detroit” and “comeback” are showing up together in headlines, though many end with question marks.

The Free Press, struggling with industry-wide challenges, has not yet had a turnaround moment. Early in 2024, the Free Press and News newsrooms moved to smaller quarters in their rented building. On Oct. 1, the Free Press reported that the newsrooms must move again this year. They will be in another space in 2025, the year their Joint Operating Agreement is scheduled to end.

Gallagher and I overlapped at the Free Press for almost 20 years. His workmanlike professionalism and quality surprised me so often that I remember asking him how he did it.

He shares his secrets as a journalist and author in this book. One Gallagher habit that stumped me was that no matter how difficult or intricate his assignment was, he always seemed to make deadline and be out the newsroom door at a reasonable time. He addresses that in his book: “…the first draft? Blast through that. That’s where you’ll save a boatload of time. Your editors will think it’s spooky. And your dinner will still be warm when you get home.”

What good news to discover neighbors finding ‘common ground’ in discussing the Bible!

‘Please, show us what you’ve been reading!’ Several members of Holy Comforter Episcopal Church in Spring, Texas, posed for us with their well-read copies of The Word Made Fresh, by George A. Mason. Left to right: Richard Blumberg, Shawn Henners, Alice El-Hamaki, Linda Barry, and Linda Astala.

By ANN WORLEY
Contributing Writer

Click on the cover to visit the book’s Amazon page.

“This is the best Bible study I’ve ever been part of,” Gwen told me with a hug. “I was just telling a friend about it the other day.”

I was thrilled: Really!?! The best Bible study I’ve ever been part of!?!

But Gwen wasn’t exaggerating as she described the impact of this book and our conversations on her daily life during our 12 weeks together. Who knew that a book of sermons written by a Baptist minister would make such an impression on seasoned Episcopalians? This warm greeting for George A. Mason’s The Word Made Fresh was just one of many welcome surprises in the several months we devoted to discussing the book at Holy Comforter Episcopal Church in Spring, Texas.

A lot of friends at our church seemed to be making their own “fresh” connections as they reflected on Mason’s book. For example, a couple of class members found common ground through the book for connecting with friends in their local interfaith group. One in particular, Linda Barry, shared this personal reflection starting with her admission that she was leery of a Baptist preacher as an author:

“When I first started to read this book, I was doubtful that I would read more than a chapter or two. I was brought up in a faith tradition that was full of judgment and I expected this book would be filled with the judgment and dogma from which I fled. But that is the farthest thing from the truth. There is none of that kind of judgment in this book. It is full of inclusion, compassion, and love. This book is for every Christian no matter what church you attend or if you have given up on church altogether.”

I couldn’t agree more.

Why am I so proud?

I organized this book discussion at our church because I knew there were rich connections awaiting us in every sermon in this book. I’m personally invested in both George’s ministry and The Word Made Fresh. Twenty years ago, George was my mentor in the pastoral residency program at Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas. I was fortunate to serve as lead editor of The Word Made Fresh when the book was in its infancy several years ago—an idea to surprise George at his retirement with a retrospective volume drawn from his 33 years of service in the same congregation.

After my time in the Wilshire residency, I had returned to my roots in the Episcopal church. Then, within my congregation, this was the first class I had offered to coordinate. And, as I have admitted: I was anxious at first about how George’s messages as a Baptist preacher would resonate among Episcopalians.

That’s why I was so proud that George’s denominational affiliation did not prove to be a barrier. My own instincts in respecting George’s inclusive wisdom over the decades were not wrong. Right away in my congregation, readers recognized George as a friend in faith whose sermons connected with their lives. That made it easy to spark thoughtful conversations in which friends could share their own stories from their faith journeys—the sure sign that a small-group in a congregation is truly going to be memorable.

The one lament from our class was that there are so many sermons in this book that twelve weeks only allowed us to skim the surface. But I’m happy to report that the book’s influence in my own congregation continues—and George’s work
remains part of our culture of constructive conversation.

Continuing the Conversations

Following our book study, I had a wonderful visit with our new Deacon Tony Kroll about some of the rich discussions in our class—and about how to encourage further thoughtful discourse as Christians in the world today. As we talked, Tony invited me to serve as one of the facilitators for adult formation classes this year, expanding on those very conversations.

Here is a description of the first course Tony has planned:

Civil Discourse Class: Sunday mornings at 10:45 a.m., October 20 through November 24. In our baptismal promises we are asked, “Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?” We will explore loving our neighbors through scripture and the voices of modern-day prophets (e.g. Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, Bishop Doyle, George Mason, Pauli Murray, Carter Hayward, among others). The class will use a discussion format and focus on our responsibility in civil discourse as we empower one another to be God’s people in the world.

I wish everyone reading this column could join us!

One of many reasons The Word Made Fresh is so compelling is that George is particularly skilled as a preacher at navigating “the hard things” that many of his contemporaries choose to avoid, favoring the easier, repetitive call to personal (and private) salvation. But how else do we learn to live as Christians in a world so full of hard things—violence and political polarization and religious posturing and more—if we cannot talk about them as friends?

These sermons not only teach us how to engage the world around us as Christians, but they also serve as a model of the power of preaching for pastors and priests. I have read each of these sermons many times and I still find them instructive, life giving, and new. There is a reason The Word Made Fresh received the Religion Communicators Council’s coveted DeRose-Hinkhouse Memorial Award earlier this spring. It should be in the library of every church and the hands of every minister—or better, every Christian.

I know I’m biased. I’ve explained that honestly—and, now, I am thankful that ReadTheSpirit magazine has invited us—me and the good folks at our church who have embraced this book—to tell our story in this way.

May our story inspire someone who reads this to take one more chance on connecting through a congregation—or, if you’re a long-time church veteran, perhaps one more boost of encouragement to organize a “fresh” small group.

We’re so glad we did.

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Ann Bell Worley is a Houston-based writer and editor with a background in theological education and ministry. She is the author of two children’s books with additional publications in religion and parenting and a broad range of editing credits. Much of her recent writing focuses on the challenges of raising a medically complex child. You can find more of Ann’s work and her family’s story on her website: www.graycoloredglasses.com.