Bil Aulenbach Until about two years ago, I could easily define the word Christian. Now, after seeing the rise of “Christian Nationalists,” I have no idea how to define a Christian, so I’m not going to bother. But I do know how to define a Follower of the Way. I see myself as a Follower, someone who … Read more
On June 17, 2025, at eight in the evening, Annie and I were seated at a restaurant outside overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Laguna Beach in Southern California. The sun had set, and Annie and I raised our glasses, toasting the start of our sixty-fifth year of marriage. For the past couple of days, we … Read more
Toms River, established in 1798, is a coastal city in northern New Jersey with a population of around 100,000 residents. Christ Episcopal Church, founded in 1865, is a progressive and diverse congregation led by Rector Mother (not Father) Mason, who has served in this role for ten years. She has played a crucial part in … Read more
Was the selection of the new pope rigged? The results almost felt predetermined. It happened so fast. I recall previous ones taking days with numerous attempts to elect a new pope. My next surprise came when the Vatican elected an American. I thought I would never witness that in my lifetime. Then, I began to … Read more
Lynden, Washington, with a population of about sixteen thousand people, is situated five miles south of the Canadian border and has a strong Dutch community and influence. It has twenty-eight Christian churches and is 90 percent white, less than 1 percent Black, and a mixture comprising the remaining. The community is young with lots of … Read more
Let immigrants come in droves from all over the world. They are the foundation stones of our great country and bring new energy and vitality. To give my stance a little background, Annie and I live in “the safest city in America”—Irvine, California, which is a planned city with 310,000 residents that swells to over … Read more
I opened the Sunday, April 27, 2025, edition of the New York Times and out fell the New York Times Magazine. The cover showed a light-green background with an attractive young woman staring at me. She had a nice smile and figure and a wholesomeness about her. I wanted to know more. I looked inside … Read more
The words “Christian nationalism” have a nice flow. They sound positive. Many see it as something every American should be embracing. I can’t remember being aware of this concept before 2020, but according to historians, it has been around since before the Revolutionary War. On January 6, 2021, it became blatantly obvious as we witnessed … Read more
A longtime friend who was a member of our church before she moved away to Oklahoma still periodically sends me provocative articles. When I taught classes, I always loved it when she was there, along with a couple of others, because they were doubters and questioners. They were unafraid to ask tough questions and hammer … Read more
One morning in June 2013, Annie and I were in Ecuador volunteering at a senior center in Quito. Then we took a bus to a rough barrio, on top of a steep hill, to work at an after-school program for 180 children until five in the evening. After we got home that night, as we … Read more