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The Christian and the State: a response to Seth Bouchelle
Ordinarily, I write a piece on Tuesdays about being thankful. Today, however, I am adding a new category called “special feature” in which I write a one-time blog post interrupting the normal rhythm of the blog. I expect we will be back to the normal blogging schedule tomorrow. * * * There is a common line in Continue reading
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Never Again
Once again, here is a poem from Carlos Andrés Gómez. Haunting. Continue reading
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Confessions of a Labeler: a meditation
I’m taking a break from reading Simone Weil’s The Need for Roots in order to write this. Which, incidentally, I am in love with. It’s not like her book made me think of this. In fact, before I ever started reading her, I had jotted down this blogging idea in Evernote. But her book helps Continue reading
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Myths, Legends, Fairy Tales, and the Bible: reading scripture as mythology part 1
For the past several Thursdays—which is the day, on the blog, that I share something academic—I have posted rehashings of papers I have written for my classes. I don’t particularly enjoy this sort of blogging because there is no unifying theme. Yet, I am compelled by my New Year’s resolution to blog every day. For Continue reading
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Homing Pigeons
There’s nothing very mysterious about this—it’s just what it feels like to be home, to experience a sense of light or of smell that is inexplicably “right.” I sometimes imagine that it is also the experience that inspires the homing pigeon to its incredible accomplishments. The scientist, of course, is only permitted to ask the Continue reading
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Thankful Tuesday: Teachers
I’ve been reflective lately, thinking about how I got here. Why things are how they are and not like how they aren’t. And with looking back comes the inevitable nostalgia. It’s not like I think high school or—God forbid—middle school was all that awesome. But, I became myself then. Or, at least, the trajectory I Continue reading
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God Died Last Night: A Meditation
I’ve always hated the book of Job. It makes God out to be totally amoral. I mean, the premise is that God wants to win a bet against Satan, so that’s why there is suffering. And, just in case you complain about being unjustly oppressed, know that God can beat you up, so you better Continue reading
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Our love is . . .
. . .like the fluffy stuffed chair embracing my frame and embellishing the cushion of my lower accoutrements in padded rest and upholstered utopia . . .like the mouth of some sunset colored cavern which explores the patterned play of failing light on soft shadow . . .like the press of two human chests against Continue reading
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John Hagee, Israel, and American Exceptionalism
This was written for my Literary Theory and Faith class last semester. One of our textbooks was David Jeffrey’s People of the Book. * * * David Jeffrey, in ninth chapter of People of the Book, discusses the relationship between the Bible and the American myth. Specifically, he traces the notion of American exceptionalism from the Continue reading
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Creation Myths
The notion that somebody literally made the world—that is what is known as artificialism. It is the child’s way of thinking: the table is made, so somebody made the table. The world is here, so somebody must have made it. There is another point of view involving emanation and precipitation without personification. A sound precipitates Continue reading
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Thankful Tuesday: Mythology
Four days off from work and class and I still feel like I need a break. And this is only the second week of the semester. Lord help me. Over the last four days I have been doing the first set of readings for my classes. I am taking an American Literature class where we Continue reading
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Why I am Opposed to the War in Vietnam
In honor of the day, I decided to share my favorite MLK sermon. Continue reading
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Weekend Compilations (10)
Welcome to this week’s installment of Weekend Compilations, a blog post where I share links to my favorite blog posts from the previous week. Sunday: Carson T. Clark explains “The Reason Why I Tend Not to Casually Throw Out Biblical Quotations or References.” He writes, “Meanwhile, my experiences growing up within fundamentalist Pentecostalism could hardly have Continue reading
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The Violin: A Meditation
The first bits of this meditation appeared in my journal last year when I attended, against my better judgement, a hyper-charismatic prayer/healing type service at a church in Abilene (the sort of thing I react to like this). The violin was used during worship. This is my meditation on its use during that service. * * Continue reading
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The Poetic Soul
I wrote the first version of this poem a few years ago. Since then, it has undergone some revisions. * * * Some say that poetic soul presupposes musical intent. But, musical intent intends music. Some say the sole aim of poetic soul centers on a scintillating combination of color as pictures. But, pictorial purpose Continue reading
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The Blood of the Martyrs
I wrote this for the Rhetoric and Belief class I am taking this semester in which we are studying the rhetoric of sacred space: * * * “Lord, forgive us,” I murmured as tears carved canyons down my cheeks. Kneeling, I crossed myself and wept quietly, conscious of the others behind me. I had been Continue reading
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Christianity and the Social Crisis
“If production could be organized on a basis of cooperative fraternity; if distribution could at least approximately be determined by justice; if all men could be conscious that their labor contributed to the welfare of all and that their personal well-being was dependent on the of the Commonwealth; if predatory business and parasitic wealth ceased Continue reading
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Thankful Tuesday: Amanda
Yesterday, after work, I made my way to Amanda‘s house for dinner and an evening of playing Axis and Allies. When I got there, around 4:15 p.m., Amanda was in a flurry of activity in the kitchen. She was working hard to make a new dish that neither she nor I had ever had before. Continue reading
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What is Genocide?
Carlos Andrés Gómez is, by far, my favorite Spoken Word poet. This poem is haunting. Continue reading
About Me
Gregory C. Jeffers
Anglican Christian | Husband | Father | Teacher | Scholar | Poet
G. C. Jeffers 