HeyJaredEight Trails
Occasional essays on religion in contemporary life, with an emphasis on how real people use the symbols of faith to "find their way in life's wilderness."
- Indexed issues, last 90 days
- 2
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- Jul 16, 2026
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- Jul 9, 2026
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Pop-Up Priests and Weddings (Part III) (opens the original)
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(Click here to to read Part II)Last week we saw that many rituals are now created where every reading must feel authentic, every song seem deeply personal, every ritual word ring true to one’s self-understanding (at least at that moment). Authenticity has become the highest liturgical value: Sincerity has become the new Sacred. But what if religious rituals actually work because we are insincere? What if religious rituals are effective because we humans often aren’t? What if successful rituals k
Pop-Up Priests and Weddings (Part II) (opens the original)
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(click here to read Part I)Last week, I mentioned that my daughter asked me to officiate her wedding. In one sense, this wasn’t surprising: I’m ordained and have spent decades studying theology and serving as a pastor.What was surprising, however, was her one request:“Mom, just don’t mention God.”Suddenly I found myself becoming exactly the sort of wedding officiant I’ve long been silently damning: the pop-up priest, ordained for the day, The Spark Notes cribber with no concern for The Book.
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