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Walter Hesford

Walter Hesford, born and educated in New England, gradually made his way West. For many years he was a professor of English at the University of Idaho, save for stints teaching in China and France. At Idaho, he taught American Literature, World Literature and the Bible as Literature. He currently coordinates an interfaith discussion group and is a member of the Latah County Human Rights Task Force and Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Moscow. He and his wife Elinor enjoy visiting with family and friends and hunting for wild flowers.
Commentary

What Am I Clapping For? Shen Yun’s Religious Propaganda or Creative Art?

Our friend had said that we would be seeing a group called Shen Yun, which performed traditional Chinese dances. She had been wowed by this group on YouTube, and she knew we enjoyed traditional Chinese dancing when we lived in China. Since she was buying the very-expensive tickets, and since she was doing the driving up from the Palouse, we thought, “why not?” We looked forward to the event.
Commentary

I Relate to the Contrary Son in the Passover Service

Midway through the eight-day Passover festival, dear friends invited my wife, me and a few others to their home for a simplified Passover Seder. Over the years I’ve been particularly attracted to the portion of the service in which we hear of four sons — one wise, one contrary, one simple and one who does not know how to ask questions.
Commentary

Gun Violence Is another Case of the Chickens Coming Home to Roost

Every time our children (and others) are sacrificed to the gun, as they were in the March 27 shooting at Nashville’s Covenant School, we afterward hear that it was a “senseless tragedy.” Far from it. Given our gun worship and their wide availability, deaths through gun violence unfortunately make perfect sense.
Commentary

Vashti: Caught in a Culture War Crossfire

The Rabbi notes that feminists sometimes elevate Vashti at the expense of Esther, whom they see as too docile. Perhaps the Midrash interpretive tradition the Rabbi draws on felt the need to demean Vashti to elevate Esther.
Commentary

‘Rainbow’ Culture and Mahu Power Alive in Hawaii

During our recent stay with family in Honolulu, it rained most days. This was fine with my wife and I as we then took the time to learn a bit about Hawaii’s birds, people and mahu power.
Commentary

Let’s Keep King’s Dream of a Beloved Community Alive

Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream of a beloved community is under threat. It is a dream of a community grounded in peace, justice and a fair sharing of resources and wealth. It is a dream rooted in the biblical vision of a covenant community, dear to the hearts of Hebrew prophets such as Amos and Micah, who were dear to the heart of King.
Commentary

An Epiphany in Spokane and Moscow

My Christian denomination, along with some others, celebrates the time between January 6 and Ash Wednesday as the season of Epiphany. In common use an epiphany is a sudden moment of awareness — an "ah ha" moment. Etymologically, an epiphany is a shining (“-pha’’-) forth (“epi-“), a manifestation of light. In Christian tradition, this shining forth is the coming of Jesus into the world, a coming through which we all may shine.
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