Mark Whittall

When I was in high school, in English class, we read a lot of dystopian novels. Classics, like Brave New World, A Clockwork Orange, and 1984. Books of prophecy that told tales of a disturbing future: control by oppressive governments, environmental destruction, conflict and survival, the loss of human dignity. And yes, 1984 was still in the future back in my high school days. But even now, we still have an appetite for dystopian literature. Witness the enduring popularity

“What is truth?” Today is the Sunday we call the Reign of Christ, or sometimes, Christ the King. It’s a curious feast day. It’s only been around for a hundred years, not very long at all in the life of the church. The chosen gospel reading just drops us without warning right into the middle of Jesus’ trial before Pilate. And doesn’t it seem a bit odd that on this Sunday, the one we call, Christ the King, we get to the last line of our readings and the question asked is “Wha

“Look at those great stones!” My tour guide pointed at what remained of the temple wall in Jerusalem. Massive stones weighing as much as 80 tonnes could be seen towering above us. It was an amazing sight. We marveled at their size and grandeur. We wondered how they got them up there. We love great stones. The temple in Jerusalem. The pyramids in Egypt. The Great Wall of China. All of them testaments to human ingenuity and engineering. All of them major tourist destinati