Violence against blacks by police. Yesterday, one black man murdered in Minnesota and one murdered in Louisiana. Many yesterdays here in Chicago. Not a time to hear my own white male voice. Where race is concerned this is doubly true. I thought I’d simply post four black novelists’ words here instead. Need it be said that black fiction is often truer […]

Robert P. Jones’ new book begins with a chapter entitled “An Obituary for White Christian America.” And it doesn’t get better from there. But his premise is driven home even for those of us who’d rather be in denial about the demise of our beloved subculture. Architecture hardly seems a promising genesis point for the topic, but by giving both mainstream […]

I am a Bible-believing Christian who has served Christ full-time in the inner city of Chicago since 1977. I met Christ as a sixteen-year-old in 1973, praying the prayer on the floor of a Jesus Person’s Montana farm house. I pray that first love empowers me daily. I am not going to claim that unless you vote the way I […]

  ‪#‎NRADeathSquad‬ by Jon Trott Easy enough to conceal who you are with the hip-carried friend Sending someone else far away from this place, this life, their universe of time and rhyme gone — snap — watch it congeal on the sidewalk near Leland and Malden I heard the bang-bang-bang-bang-bang And the girl start screaming that they shot her baby […]

Professor of Philosophy Adriel Trott, who as a sideline happens to be my niece, is very patient with me and my continual dialogue regarding feminism. Patience is needed, because while I find myself still hashing out what Second Stage feminists fought through, Dr. Trott and her compatriots are post-Third Stage pioneers re gender identity, intersectionality, and ever so much more. […]

Careful, there…. “intelligent design” can mean two quite different things. First, and most popular in some circles, is the idea that evolution may be occurring much of the time, but that in addition God kinda “sticks his finger in” (my phrase) to stop, start, or alter what is happening. Science tends to object to this on rather simple grounds: there’s […]

Cornerstone Archives, Issue #55]   Divorce by Jon Trott   Despite reflection and prayer, an oppressive feeling had slowly settled over me. “I wonder‑what’s wrong?.” I asked a fellow Cornerstone writer. Under questioning, the realization of the oppression I’d been feeling became evident. A series of divorces among men and women I’d felt a kinship with, namely contemporary Christian musicians, […]

Voting in my hometown Chicago can be fascinating, infuriating, or both. I’ve seen it from more angles than most folks, having served as an election judge (many times), poll-watcher, and “get out the votes” activist (many, many times!). Voting is ugly. This is the truth of it. From the moment you register as a voter, you will discover this. Campaign […]

I’ve always hated you. I first learned about you in books, crying in quiet horror as your servants’ hands took Anne Frank away to meet you and end her beautiful words, or Kafka’s victim stood in the rock quarry looking up at a figure in a window as others’ hands plunged a blade into his chest. I saw you in […]

The below editorial was written in 2001, soon after the events of 9/11, and published in Cornerstone magazine. -=- “Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you.” (Psalm 143:2 NIV) Second tower is struck by hijacked plane, Sept 11, 2001   September 11, 2001, I saw the orange fireball of human righteousness. America—the […]