Rev Dr Sparky on Real/igion

Tag: Language

  • All Keyed Up

    Photo by Bradford Nicolas on Unsplash Another word mystery A prominent individual said something critically important on television the other day, but I forget what it was. I just remember they said it was “key,” without any “the” or “a” or anything. I hear this construction all the time, and it would be absolutely forgettable if it…

  • Now See Hear

    Photo by kyle smith on Unsplash Newsreaders are losing their senses If the content of the news weren’t crazy enough to keep me away from the nightly media scatshow, the failing language skills of the commentators is. They’ve forgotten the meanings of simple verbs like “listen” and “look.” “Take a listen” This is wrong. We can “take a…

  • Why You Should Try the Worst Writing Job Ever

    Photo by jesse orrico on Unsplash The hidden market in compliance prose Here’s some irony: I spent six years writing the driest, most dispassionate prose imaginable, and it helped my creative writing more than any of the artistic work I’ve ever done. Moreover, it paid the bills, left me plenty of time to do my own…

  • My Secret Names for G*D

    Photograph by Emily Morter on Unsplash. We all have questions. There are probably as many ways of prayer as there are people. Most religious traditions offer forms and formalities to be followed, and most have preferred languages and liturgies. But nearly all serious theologies or philosophies admit human words simply cannot define the Divine. Therefore,…

  • Time to clean out your word closet

    Photo by Gary Chan on Unsplash At the turn of each calendar year, I love to purge files, sort housewares, clean out closets and send my usable discards to the thrift store (while hoping I don’t buy them back later). As I do so, I’m also thinking it’s a good time to inventory some words and…

  • What we talk about when we talk about G*d

    At this stage of my life, I find myself increasingly seeking simplicity on many questions. While I’ve always been happy to analyze, over-analyze, and problematize important issues about life, language, religious expressions, and the best office supplies, I am now more interested in the irreducible questions at the core of these issues. Right now, I’m…