August 29 weekend 2025 spirituality column

Don't Judge a Pastor's Books by Their Covers

"Be careful who you allow in your library," was the advice given me years ago by my pastor/dad.

"Parishioners may judge you by your book titles," he warned.

I followed his pastoral advice for years — until I became a columnist.

Now, for the past 15 years, I've used this Labor Day column to share the books I've read this past year.

Considering that I don't read many religious books, I'll take the risk that a few of you may judge me.

Let's start with John Green, a former pediatric chaplain and author of one of the most popular books of all time, "A Fault in our Stars." But I rarely read fiction, so I direct you to his most recent book, "Everything Is Tuberculosis." (2025)

Green explores the persistent global crisis of tuberculosis (TB), a preventable and curable disease that continues to claim millions of lives annually. The book asserts that TB thrives because of systemic inequities, neglect, and prioritization of certain lives over others.

Through vivid storytelling, Green begins with his visit to Lakka Government Hospital in Sierra Leone, where the devastating impact of TB becomes starkly evident in the personal story of Henry Reider. The narrative intertwines public health, global equity, and human resilience, urging readers to confront the moral and structural failures that allow this disease to persist.

As a chaplain, I've always been fascinated how some folks survive tragedies and others randomly die. That's why I checked out Amanda Ripley's book, "The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes - and Why." (2008.)

Ripley traces the human response to some of history's epic disasters. She interviews brain scientists, trauma psychologists, and other disaster experts to help understand how victims overcome the effects of extreme fear.

Ripley undergoes realistic simulations to see what it might be like to survive a plane crash or escape a raging fire. Her insights might well help people to do much better in the worst of situations.

Now, if you judge yourself a sleuth, check out, "The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel: Genius, Power, and Deception on the Eve of World War I" by Douglas Brunt, Scott Brick, et al.  (2023.)

On September 29, 1913, Rudolph Diesel, inventor of the internal combustion engine, disappeared off the steamship Dresden, halfway between Belgium and England. Was his disappearance, an accident, suicide, or murder?

With this Sherlock Holmes narrative, you can play Dr. Watson with Brunt as he reopens this old case of political intrigue.

Continue your sleuthing role in "The Art Thief," where Michael Finkel writes one of the most remarkable true-crime narratives of the world's most prolific art thief, Stéphane Breitwieser. 

Stealing over 300 priceless artworks from European museums, Breitwieser says he was driven not by greed but by an obsessive love for beauty. The book delves into his audacious heists, his complex motivations, and the relentless pursuit by law enforcement to bring him to justice. It also explores the psychological and emotional dimensions of his crimes, offering a fascinating look at the intersection of passion, compulsion, and criminality in the art world.

And finally, you can judge me to be a "nerd," but I loved "Ten Birds That Changed the World," by the naturalist Stephen Moss.

Moss explores the profound impact of ten bird species on human history, culture, and society. Each chapter weaves ornithology with historical narratives, showcasing how birds have shaped human thought and progress.

For instance, Moss shows how the Great Chinese Famine was caused by the mass killing of pesky sparrows. Another chapter traces the beginning of the Audubon Society out of the mass killing of waterfowl for their feathers.

In several more examples, the book highlights how these birds have influenced art, science, and politics. From sparking scientific revolutions to inspiring cultural movements, Moss delves into the intricate connections between bird life and humanity.

Finally, I'm sure you'd judge the 100 libraries established by Chispa Project in Honduras as top notch. Help Chispa equip those libraries with essential supplies by shopping our Amazon Wishlist for the back-to-school season at www.go.chispaproject.org/supplies  Email me with questions or comment at comment@thechaplain.net.

 

 

 

 

 

August 22 weekend 2025 spirituality column

Chaplain has 3-Alarm Guilt Fire

"I'm going to have to get some bike shoes to ride my new electric bike," I told my wife Becky.

Knowing my propensity to buy shoes for all occasions, Becky asked me to consider using a pair of my running shoes.

"Since we moved to the foothills, I know those shoes haven't seen much mileage."

I recognized her M.O. She was trying to make me feel guilty for spending good money on shoes I probably didn't need.

It wasn't going to work this time I thought as I headed downtown to the biking store.

Gladly, I was pleasantly greeted by a very nice clerk who quickly straddled one of those funny shoe stools with a little loading ramp.

With my foot placed firmly onto the ramp, she began to fit me with a half dozen pairs of shoes. I felt like the princess looking for her CinderFella to fit a glass Nike.

The problem was that her attention was focused over my shoulder where her colleagues were busy collecting lunch orders to the local sandwich shop.

From her perch on the wooden shoe horse, she misspoke her first diagnostic question.

"What do you usually eat?" she asked.

I heard the unintentional question directed toward me and it set off my guilt alarms.

I wondered if her shoe ramp contained some kind of gizmo capable of measuring the fat in the soles of my feet.

At any moment, I expected a latex-gloved co-worker to pinch the donut sack from my bag and declare, "We got him now. This is all we'll need. Book him on charges of 'stuff and run.'"

Without knowing anything about my eating habits, the clerk didn't mean to imply judgment, but it was too late.

Flaming guilt had already engulfed my face, and by the looks of things, it was going to be a three-alarm response.

But this kind of guilt — the kind of guilt that only fears exposure — is almost as unhealthy as are my eating habits.

Unhealthy guilt will invest an incredible amount of energy into concealing things. As we make the effort to hide our guilt, shirk it, or ignore it, serious mental health concerns can result.

The energy we expend to blanket a problem often shapes a silhouette plain enough for all to see. The impression left from hiding guilt is often as plain as the angel pattern left by children playing in snow.

As I worked to suck in my gut, my unhealthy guilt had me assuming that this hapless shoe clerk was my accuser.

The situation reminded me of the conversation Jesus had with a woman whose murder he interrupted.

Jesus faced her accusers as they readied stones to execute her for adultery.

He sent the executors packing with a single qualification: "He who is without sin may cast the first stone."

With the sudden disappearance of her accusers, Jesus assured her, "No man condemns you and neither do I."

People like that part of the story but often forget Jesus then turned the tables a bit by introducing her to healthy guilt.  With a dismissive mandate, Jesus added, "Go and sin no more!"

In life, healthy guilt can inspire us to strive for healthier lives. It can push us to mend relationships, work hard, and commit to charity. But good results only come as we commit to taking our life forward and "sinning no more."

When the clerk rang up the sale, the damage was almost $150, and I had only one thought: "I shouldn't be spending this kind of money on shoes. I'm going to have to bike 100 miles a week to justify this purchase."

The guilt was back.

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Not to make you feel guilty, but if you're looking for an easy way to help Chispa Project, shop our Amazon Wishlist for the back-to-school season at  www.go.chispaproject.org/supplies  Email me with questions at comment@thechaplain.net

 

 

 

 

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August15 weekend 2025 spirituality column

The Pending Deportation of Roger Williams

By Jeffery Jones and Norris Burkes

 

With all the recent swarm of INS arrests, I feel fortunate they aren't deporting any white male Baptists such as myself.

 

I can hear you saying, "Oh Norris, don't be ridiculous. You're 'America's Favorite Chaplain' – a National Treasure."

 

Trustfully, I felt safe until my new friend, Professor Jeffrey Jones shared a story he wrote called, "The Attempted Deportation of Roger Williams." 

 

Jones is a Baptist like me, so Roger Williams is our main guy.

 

According to Jones, Williams arrived February 5,1631 in the Boston harbor on the Lyon. He came with other migrants seeking to escape the religious and political oppression of English Puritans. He had feared his unorthodox religious views would get him arrested in England.

 

He hoped to find greater freedoms in Boston but was soon forced to migrate again, this time to Salem. Even there, however, he encountered religious restrictions imposed by both church and state.

 

That summer he migrated to Plymouth. He spent a year there before his growing family found bigger accommodations back in Salem, Massachusetts.

 

At first, the town welcomed his return. A local church asked him to be their teacher and the Williams family settled into a comfortable house.

 

While Roger served the church, he simultaneously sought to develop relationships with local Native Americans. However, political leaders back in Boston Massachusetts expressed concern over Williams' unorthodox beliefs and most especially on his view of Native American land ownership.

 

Town leaders met with him on several occasions demanding his silence on these controversial topics.  At first, Williams agreed to accommodate their wishes. but it wasn't long before he found that silence in the face of oppression is not a viable option.

 

Most significantly, he opposed the government's attempt to enforce the first four of the Ten Commandments. Willaims believed that government had no role to play in one's personal faith.

 

Williams objected with succinct clarity, "Forced worship stinks in God's nostrils."

 

His protest threatened the puritan arrangement of joining the church with the state, an essential part of the Puritan vision of the "City on the hill."

 

Willaims would not go unchallenged.

 

Religious and civic leaders saw him as a threat to colony unity and demanded Williams' banishment. The magistrates agreed.  And on a frigid November day, Williams received a removal order telling him to self-deport within six weeks.

 

Williams happened to be very ill at the time, so the magistrates permitted him to stay until spring, provided he did not speak publicly. With no official church position, he wisely agreed to silence.

 

However, Willams continued to meet with a small group of friends in his home. The magistrates saw those meetings as a clear violation of their agreement and immediately sent agents to deport Williams on the next ship.

 

Warned of his pending arrest and near certain death if he remained in Salem, Williams risked life and limb as a fugitive in the wilderness.

 

Nearly dead, he stumbled into sanctuary with the Native Americans he had befriended and whose language he knew. The food and shelter they provided enabled him to regain his strength.

 

He then established a colony in Providence Rode Island where his religious freedom became a reality with the creation of the first Baptist church in America.

 

Jones and I see how Williams' story offers challenging insights about oppression and freedom, brutality and compassion. Today, few can really say they aren't next, even a Baptist dude such as myself.

 

Disclaimer: Roger Williams was an "American Treasure." I'm not. But there is talk about sending me back to Texas.

 

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Send comments to comment@thehaplain.net

 

Jeffrey Jones is retired pastor who has served on the faculty of Andover Newton Theological School and the American Baptist national staff. His most recent book is Being Church in a Liminal Time: Remembering, Letting Go, Resurrecting.

 

August 8 weekend 2025 spirituality column

Plan to Live or Plan to Die

In 2015, I was serving as a hospital chaplain at St. Joseph Hospital in Stockton, California. My job could be a bit overwhelming as my Catholic employer required their chaplains to visit every newly-admitted patient.

So, as I approached the end of my shift one afternoon, I was in a hurry as I pushed open the last door on the 3^rd floor ward.

That's where I found an elderly female patient lying in a darkened room. I spoke to her, but she seemed to be under heavy sedation. Since I couldn't offer much support, I made a retreat pivot in hopes of ending a long day.

But, my exit was blocked by the lanky silhouette of an elderly man standing in the doorway.

"Hello," I said, "I'm Norris Burkes, the hospital chaplain."

The man moved across the room to greet me, introducing himself with a broad smile. I don't remember his name, but his demeanor brought "Mr. Rogers" to mind.

Mr. Rogers told me the patient was Mrs. Rogers and proceeded to tell her story.

She was 75, he 86. It was their second marriage and he'd tried to make her happy during their ten-years of matrimony, but from the beginning it seemed to him that she was prepping herself to die.

She'd struggled with frequent doctor visits for a bad back, memory issues, and poor eyesight. "It's as if," he said, "she was always searching for something more serious, like she needed a better reason to die."

"Depression can hit hard in the elderly," I said.

Mr. Rogers nodded at my conjecture, so I said more.

"I see you've decided to make her a DNR," referring to the medical order "Do Not Resuscitate." Since it's part of the job to clarify DNR to families, I added, "So if her heart stopped right now, we would do nothing to restart it."

"Yup. She states that preference in her living will."

Hoping to affirm their choice, I added, "It's good that she planned for this moment."

"I suppose it's a good idea to plan for death, but my wife seemed to be always trying to make death her plan," he said. "All she talked about was dying."

"If you're not planning to live, you are planning to die," he quipped.

Still aware that I was hearing a one-sided story about my patient, my sympathies tipped toward Mr. Rogers. He seemed fit, certain and thriving. Even with his own death likely close, he proclaimed to be living his life to the fullest.

After about twenty minutes, we both began walking to the door, ending our visit.

"Do you drive yourself here?" I asked.

"No, no." he said.

Oh, good," I said, expecting he'd long given up driving.

"I have a car, but home is just four miles away."

I squinted to find clarity in his answer.

"I rode my bike here. I only drive if it's raining."

Suddenly, the man's life philosophy came into sharper focus.

I had stopped riding my bike a few years previous out of safety concerns, but this octogenarian wasn't planning on braking his bike—or his life. He was still going full speed.

Looking back on that visit now, Mr. Rogers' influence on my life is clear.

Within a year of meeting him, my wife and I sold our house to embark on three years of travel. While we are back into home ownership, I've never forgotten Mr. Rogers' inspiration to keep planning for life and accept death only when it finally comes.

By the way, I'm back on a bike again. It's an e-bike, but it's getting me down the road.

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Sign up to receive this column by email at https://thechaplain.net/columns/ Contact Chaplain Norris at comment@thechaplain.net or 10566 Combie Rd. Suite 6643 Auburn, CA 95602 or voicemail (843) 608-9715.