Stories by Lowell Grisham

  • Attacking The Nation’s Poor People

    In the recent debate about Food Stamps — also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP — Tennessee Rep. Stephen Fincher quoted the New T…

  • Pope Francis’ Homily Strikes Right Chord

    In a recent homily, Pope Francis acknowledged all people can do good and God’s blessing has a universal quality. He was commenting on a story in Mark’s Gospel …

  • Congrats, Legislators: You Did The Right Thing

    The Arkansas Legislature did the right and good thing. They passed a federally funded extension of health care insurance for hard-working Arkansans in low-payi…

  • COMMENTARY: Fading Ideas Growl As They Die

    When an idea has lost its power, it is like a fatally injured bear caught in a trap: It roars loudly and makes its fi ercest, most absolute claims, even as it …

  • What To Do When The Dark Angels Visit

    My friend John tells of a dry, arid time in his life. He felt like the verse from Psalm 63: “My soul thirsts for you, my flesh faints for you, as in a barren a…

  • Baby Research Reveals Virtues, Flaws

    There was a fascinating story on CBS’s “60 Minutes” recently about research at the Yale University Infant Cognition Center. Using puppet shows, researchers at …

  • Income Disparities Threaten Economy

    Alas for those who lie on beds of ivory, and lounge on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock, and calves from the stall; who sing idle songs to the sound…

  • How To Harass A Good Man To Death

    One of the fascinating things about my job is that I have the privilege of being with people during some of their most challenging times. Occasionally I meet s…

  • Legislature Should Do The Right Thing

    “For I was sick and you took care of me …” “Lord, when was it that we saw you sick …?” “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these … you…

  • Cathy And Sara/Noah: A Family Story

    Cathy Campbell helps children and adolescents when life seems to be crashing down on them. She’s a licensed counselor who works with foster and adopted childre…

  • If Good People Do Nothing: Genocide

    Do you ever place yourself into a historical story and wonder what you would have done had you been there?

  • Following The Cause Of Love, Justice

    Shortly before he was assassinated, Oscar Romero, the Roman Catholic archbishop of El Salvador, said, “I do not believe in death without resurrection. If I am …

  • Drive-By Shooting Reported

    Police are investigating a drive-by shooting reported on Braxton Drive on Friday night.

  • Football League Essentially A Plutocracy

    I love football. I’ll be watching the Super Bowl today. I’ll be wearing my Eli Manning jersey, cheering for the kid whose dad was my college quarterback. Watch…

  • Koran Quotations On The Wall, Perhaps?

    Several recent letters to the editor have taken exception to the state of Arkansas for enforcing the First Amendment by withdrawing taxpayer funding for some r…

  • It’s Time For Christians To Speak Up

    Several of my columns have focused on the plight of the poor in the United States and the concentration of wealth and power in the hands of fewer and fewer peo…

  • We Should Show Compassion In All Things

    I have an interest in applying the values of Jesus to our social and political discourse. And I’m troubled by many Christians who advocate policies that seem c…

  • Bad Religion Makes For Very Bad Politics

    On Aug. 6, as presidential candidate Rick Perry kicked off his campaign for the White House, he held a large rally organized by some religious groups that are …

  • PEOPLE & PLACES

    Williams Marks 98th Birthday

  • Our Challenge, Our Call Remain The Same

    My friend Fred Burnham recently came to town to talk about his experience of Sept. 11, 2001. If the near tower of the World Trade Center had shifted its direct…

  • Granddad Was Generous

    My grandfather is one of the reasons I’m a priest today. He gave me a form of unconditional love that helped make it possible for me to believe in a God of unc…

  • Learn To Love Your Neighbor And Mean It

    Christians interpret the scriptures through the lens of Jesus. We claim Jesus is the human face of God. When we look at Jesus, we get a glimpse into the nature…

  • COMMENTARY: Dalai Lama Preaches Wisdom

    With joy I will join a sold out Bud Walton Arena a month from tomorrow to welcome His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Northwest Arkansas.

  • COMMENTARY The Rich Get All The Breaks

    “There’s class warfare, all right, but it’s my class, the rich class, that’s making war, and we’re winning.” — Warren Buffett, 2006 The Sheriff of Nottingham i…

  • COMMENTARY Praying For Jonathan Chavez

    Iread a lot of letters about “illegals,” and what we should do with them. Here’s a story that may make the folks who write those letters feel a little safer.

  • COMMENTARY More Families Than Mangers

    When Christians celebrate Christmas this week, we will tell the story of a displaced family. They are homeless and pregnant. Their first child is born in a cav…

  • COMMENTARY Bubble Up Versus Trickle Down

    My son-in-law is a marine biologist. He hopes to travel next year to study what may be the only unfished coral reef in the world.

  • COMMENTARY: Christ Speaks Politics

    On a couple of occasions I’ve heard from readers who say something along the line of this post to the NWAOnline comments following my previous column: “Shame o…

  • The Long View Of Health Care

    I remember when Congress passed the 1964 Civil Rights bill. White reaction in my home state was apocalyptic with anger and fear. People were certain — our nati…

  • COMMENTARY Principles On Immigration

    Who are the people promoting racist laws like what Arizona has just passed? Arizona now requires brown people to carry identification, or risk arrest. That’s w…

  • COMMENTARY: Paid In The Wages Of Fear

    On Sept. 12, 2001, I decided that I would not allow the terrorists’ attacks of the previous day to change my life. I believe the best way to defeat terrorists …

  • COMMENTARY Science Is God’s Gift, Too

    “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth…” John 16:12-13 a “…

  • COMMENTARY: Wage Theft Should Be A Crime

    “You shall not withhold the wages of poor and needy laborers, whether other Israelites or aliens who reside in your land in one of your towns.” Deuteronomy 24:…

  • ROOTS & WINGS : ‘Wild Things’ and Halloween

    The wonderful children’s picture book “Where the Wild Things Are” is now a movie. I hope the film lives up to the enchanting quality of the 1964 Caldecott Meda…

  • ROOTS & WINGS : Fervor casts out fear

    Fear is the opposite of love. "There is no fear in love. Perfect love casts out fear" (1 John 4:18). Fear is essentially a faithless reaction. The grip of fear…

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