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The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Carl Trueman on Our Cultural Crisis … and "Mr." Potato Head??
"Who am I?" A profound yet difficult question. How does one go about trying to answering it?…. and what does this all have to do with "Mr" and/or "Mrs" Potato Head?
A generation ago, the thought of "a woman being trapped in a man's body" was commonly rejected as unthinkable silly talk. Such a thought was judged to be simply incoherent.
Today, the idea that anyone can simply define their own gender, as an expression of one's self, is quite normal, in many social, political, business, and educational institutions. Three examples come to mind to illustrate this:.
Among ordinary Americans: A 2020 Gallup poll shows that 1 in 6 Americans, between the ages of 18 and 23, consider themselves to be somewhere in the "LGBTQ" category, as opposed to 1 in 50 Americans, ages 56 and older.
In politics: In the month that I am writing this post (March, 2021), the U.S. Senate is considering a bill, already passed in the House of Representatives, called "The Equality Act," that would enable sweeping changes in current law, regarding how schools, employers, religious-affiliated institutions, and even parents of children handle such questions of self-identity.
In business: A book that features testimonies from trans-persons who later regretted pursuing gender reassignment surgeries, or other medical procedures, Ryan T. Anderson's When Harry Became Sally, was delisted from the world's largest book seller, Amazon.com, as Amazon says that the book violates their company policy, which prohibits them from selling books that "frame LGBTQ+ identity as a mental illness."
That first example alone blows my mind every time I think about it. So, how did this radical perception of the self change so rapidly within such a short period of time?
While still keeping the characters of "Mr" and "Mrs" Potato Head, in February, 2021, Hasbro announced that they will remove the "Mr" from the overall brand name, which is now simply, "Potato Head." Now "kids [can] create their own type of potato families, including two moms or two dads," presumably with interchangeable parts, where dads can become moms, and moms can become dads. How did we get here? Carl Trueman helps us out. (Link to the full Hasbro press release, including the video you have to see to believe)
The Roots of Our Current Crisis Regarding the Self
Before going any further, it is important to say that gender dysphoria; that is, having a sense that one's personal experience of gender is not congruent with one's biological sex, is a real phenomenon, involving real people, with real confusions and real consequences. We should never be quick to brush off the difficulties facing by people, particularly youth, who struggle deeply with troubling, and often painful experiences related to gender identity. (See my review and personal reflections on Preston Sprinkle's marvelously helpful book, Embodied: Transgender Identities, The Church, & What the Bible Has to Say ) But aside from such personal and pastoral issues, as important as they are, there is the broader question of how such fluid understandings of gender have emerged in the larger cultural conversation, in the secular West. Where did this sudden emergence of gender identity questions come from?
If you consider yourself to be a thinking Christian, and the current wave of interest in all things "trans" concerns you, then I know of THE book that you need to read: Carl Trueman's The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolution is a long awaited attempt to frame the historical and philosophical factors that have led to our current, cultural moment. Trueman currently serves as a professor of biblical and religious studies at Grove City College, but he has had a distinguished career as a Fellow at Princeton University, and in teaching church history at Westminster Theological Seminary, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Born and raised in England, Trueman is what can best be described as a confessional Protestant, a member of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, holding fast to an unabashedly Reformed and Puritan mode of evangelical faith, and a cohost of the Mortification of Spin podcast, an intellectually and spiritually invigorating podcast I listen to from time to time. But as Trueman articulates so well in The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self, he is fully conversant with the best of modern and post-modern philosophy and historical studies. His work is lucid, insightful, and inviting, all at the same time. In fact, you really do not learn of Trueman's confessional convictions as a Christian, until towards the end of the book, but he does so in a thoughtful and irenic fashion, without shying away from the challenges of today's controversies.
How Did We Get Here, to This Cultural Moment?
Back to the original question: "Who am I?" The question of one's self-identity has undergone a cosmic shift over the past few centuries, argues Trueman. The touchstone on which Trueman places his analysis comes from the thought of the Canadian Roman Catholic philosopher, Charles Taylor, author of the highly acclaimed The Secular Age. But for Trueman's purposes, he zeroes in on Taylor's work as to how the concept of the self has changed during the modern and post-modern eras. In particular, Taylor argues that the shift in answering the question, "Who am I?," has increasingly moved towards an inward, introspective direction. In the premodern world, the concept of self-identity was wrapped up in what some external, objectifying source said about you, such as a parent, a feudal lord, or a priest or other spiritual guide expressing a body of church teaching. The quest to understand one's self-identity is grounded today in a therapeutic mindset, by "looking within."
Reinforcing this point, Trueman highlights the thought of American sociologist, Philip Reiff, who says that today we have a "plastic" view of the self, whereby we can fashion our own-self conception to be whatever we like it to be. Together with that, Trueman adds Roman Catholic philosopher Alasdair Macintyre as yet a third voice, who suggests that today's language of self-expression is primarily "emotive," namely that today's ethical "values" are essentially the products of "expressive individualism."
Trueman contends that this bend towards "expressive individualism" is inescapable now. The Christian church is caught in the thick of it all. Diagnosing how we arrived at this "expressive individualism" is the set of historical ideas that Trueman seeks to unpack in The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self.
Owing largely to the influence of Sigmund Freud, all of these trends find their biggest impact in the areas of human sexuality and gender: Someone is "gay" because they "feel" that way, and that tells them a lot about "who they are." Or, as has emerged in recent years, we have the idea that someone can define themselves as being a "man" or a "woman," simply on the basis of how they "feel." The language of identity has moved, in small increments, from the objective to the subjective.
Far be it for me to try effectively lay out the full framework of The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self. I can best refer the reader to consult either the summary reviews written by Regent College theologian Paul Helm, at his website, or at MereOrthodoxy.com. Let it suffice to say that Trueman does a masterful job weaving in the thought of Marx, Freud, and Darwin to buttress his thesis, along with some erudite analysis and critique of the Romantics, like William Blake and Percy Shelley, as well as an engagement with other seminal thinkers like Rousseau and Nietzsche. In particular, I once had a particular fascination for William Blake's view of Christian spirituality, but Carl Trueman has convinced me that such a warm appreciation has been sorely misplaced, due to Blake's advocacy of "free love" in his early years. Among a host of other insights, Trueman gave me the most succinct analysis of ethicist Peter Singers' rationale for accepting abortion that I have ever read, due to Singer's attack on orthodox Christianity (readers interested in pro-life concerns should read The Rise and Triumph for that reason alone!)
The sexual revolution of the 1960s, and the consequences that have been born out in terms of the legalization of same-sex marriage and widespread public acceptance gender re-imagination, is all the fruit of cultural trends in the past few hundreds of years that Trueman brings to light. While readers may know very little about Rousseau and Nietzsche, in particular, the thought patterns they championed have seeped into all levels of society, from pop-culture to the halls of academia.
Book reviewer Mark Ward calls The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self an "excellent — though long and at times tedious — book." I would not characterize it as "tedious", but it does assume at least some familiarity with a number of the world's greatest thinkers since the 18th century age of Enlightenment, which might be daunting for the uninitiated. But Ward is right to point out that far too often Christians will dismiss the uncomfortable ideas of the Sexual Revolution in a very glib fashion as being "from Satan," as though that should settle the matter. This is naive.
All ideas, including evil ones, do not spring up from nowhere. They have a history. There is a path that such ideas follow. At first, these ideas appear to be ridiculous. But then slowly over time, they gain more and more traction, until whole societies will adopt them as perfectly acceptable. For Westerners in the 21st century, this is including not simply mainline liberal Protestant churches, but even evangelical churches, to varying degrees. Today, we see the growth of such ideas being slowly cultivated, which eventually bears the fruit that we see all around us. Reviewer Andrew T. Walker likewise has other helpful insights, as well as does this interview with Trueman by Fred Zaspel.
One particular application has to do with how poorly Protestant evangelicalism, in general, does at presenting a truly sacramental expression of distinguishing between male and female, in the life of the church. Far too often, evangelical churches will get sidelined with questions about whether or not women can serve as elders/pastors in a local church, thereby missing the deeper question as to how churches can effectively model what it means to be Fathers and Mothers, in an age where understandings of gender and human sexuality owe more to cultural stereotypes, as opposed to reflecting on the great theological truths of the Christian faith. We live in age when differences between male and female are often reduced to something merely having to do "with the plumbing," and even that can be altered, with the appropriate medical procedure.
Calling All Christians To Think Theologically… and Imaginatively
Trueman admits that diagnosing the problem is one thing. The harder part comes in trying to come up with an adequate solution. The chaos resulting from this therapeutic revolution appears to have no end in sight. Furthermore, this reconceptualization of the self has political consequences. It is not enough to merely tolerate inward expressions of the self. They must all be recognized as morally valid. This explains why the ratcheting up of the culture wars, over the previous few decades, have now reached such a high, fever pitch. The advocacy for the "Equality Act" is no historical accident. It is the culmination of years of culture pressure, building up slowly over time.
Trueman does suggest that the answer for Christians, in how to respond to this movement, lies in the importance of community. As Christians grapple with these issues, they need to do so within the context of a worshipping community, in submission to the study of the Scriptures, as opposed to working out their angst on their Facebook and Instagram social media pages.
Comparatively, the so-called LGBTQ community, though it is hardly a monolithic entity, has enjoyed strong bonds of community, over the past few decades. Such bonds are in many ways as supportive, if not more supportive, than what you find in many Christian churches. But the communal cohesion of the LGBTQ movement has been its primary engine for success, and orthodox-minded Christians have much to learn from this strong sense of community bonding.
As far as the "Potato Head" brand goes, the idea of mixing and matching "Mr" and "Mrs" Potato Heads, with presumably interchangeable parts, to produce different varieties of families and gender transitions, is merely one of the many ways Philip Reiff's concept of the "plastic" self is being integrated into the norms of post-modern society. Critics of those who are concerned about this transformation of the self will surely dismiss such criticism as being hyper-over-reactive. But it is the up-and-coming generation of young people who will be left trying to figure all of this stuff out.
What To Do About It?
Is the answer to try to boycott Hasbro? Probably not, at least not in the long run. Neither is trying to return to some "golden age" of Christendom the answer either, through trying to control and takeover the machinery of civil government. At least, that is my take, and from reading The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self, I gather this is Carl Trueman's perspective as well. Applying such cultural pressure might accomplish something in the short run, but it will surely just enrage proponents of such cultural shifts, causing them to double-down against Christian "intolerance."
Thankfully, Christians are not alone in their anxiety about all of this. There are also secular liberals, and other thinkers, who are deeply concerned about such fluid understandings of the self. Consider best-selling author Abigail Shrier, from her appearance before Congress arguing against the proposed Equality Act. Her testimony that the Equality Act would encourage great harm against women and girls, in our society. But Christians need to go further than this, with a more transformative outlook upon contemporary Western culture.
What it does take is for Christians to learn how to think about the Bible's view of the self, and how that is contrast with today's view of the self. Christians ranging from plumbers and construction workers to soccer moms to college professors need to be able articulate an evangelical theology of the self. This is not a job just to be left with pastors and Christians public intellectuals. It is something that must be cultivated in Christian small groups meeting in living rooms, Bible classes meeting in church buildings, and in one-on-one get togethers for coffee and lunch.
Every Christian believer needs to be a theologian able to articulate a theological anthropology that adequately describes a Scriptural view of the self. Christians can then help their non-believing neighbors understand the beauty of what God intended for humanity, without flaming the passions of the culture wars. Christians need to rediscover the value of natural law, and think creatively to stir the imagination with a genuine picture of what the Kingdom of God really looks like, that our secular neighbors might find attractive. We must recover the art of persuasion. Thinkers like G. K. Chesterton and C.S. Lewis did this in their generations. We need new Christian voices to do the same in ours. Carl Trueman sets out the task before us.
The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self is surely to be one of the most, if not "the" most, important and reasonably accessible intellectual history of the West to date, that bears consequences in the marketplace, the voting booth, and in the world of education, that shapes our children. Christians need to be conversant in these matters, so that we can be better persuaders of the truth of the Gospel, as opposed to automatically going to the "you must be Satan" line of attack, and thus stopping the conversation. The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self will help the thoughtful Christian to engage these new and revolutionary ideas, that appear to be going mainstream, so that we might be able to have thoughtful and meaningful discussions, even where there are sharp points of disagreement. This is a must-read for Christian pastors and thought leaders, or any Christian committed to thinking deeply about the rise and triumph of the modern self.
A number of excellent interviews with Carl Trueman are available on YouTube, but I found this discussion between Southern Baptist Seminary president Al Mohler and Trueman to be particularly engaging. You may not agree with every aspect of the discussion, but if you are on the sidelines about whether or not to read this book, I would urge you to listen to an interview like this, and I believe you will agree that the topic is perhaps one of the most timely and important ones Christians, as well as non-Christians, need to have together.
3 Comments | tags: Carl Trueman, Charles Taylor, complementarian, Darwinism, egalitarian, expressive individualism, gender, identity, nietszche, same-sex marriage, transgender | posted in Apologetics
Loving Those Who Wrestle with Transgendered Experiences : A Review of Preston Sprinkle's Embodied
First, let me start off with a personal story. I am a biological male who feels quite comfortable with being gendered as masculine. But it was not always that way.
I was never much of an athlete growing up. In elementary school, I was shorter and smaller than the other boys, and I was always the last one to get picked on a side for kickball. I especially dreaded it when girls played with us, and the girls got picked first over me. I was generally consoled when there was at least one or two girls left, after I got picked. But it still was not a great feeling.
That began to change as a 12-year old, when I discovered the sport of tennis. I learned from my coaches that I was actually pretty good at it, compared to a number of the other kids. I won match after match with other boys in a local municipal league, throughout an entire season. Having grown up thus far, playing in the dirt, building dams in the small creek behind our house, and being fascinated with dump trucks and bulldozers, I was finally beginning to feel comfortable with my "boy-ness." My tennis experience with other boys seemed to confirm it.
Then, I was lined up to play a girl my same age in the girl's league. It went like this: 6-0, 6-0, 6-1. I was completely devastated by the loss. At least I got one game in the victory column. But it cemented in my mind the same type of feeling I had being chosen for kickball in elementary school…. at the bottom of the list.
Well, as it turned out, this girl who destroyed me in tennis was the daughter of the president of the local university in my hometown. She probably started taking tennis lessons at age 5, for all I knew. For when she got to high school, she ended up being a Virginia State Champion in tennis, with an almost unbroken victory record. I do not know if she actually went to the Olympics or not, or played professionally, but she could have. She was definitely THAT good.
I put the tennis racket away after that.
I never touched it again until my years in college, and then only briefly. I was never able to fully enjoy the sport until I hit my 30s. I was completely sandwiched in by social expectations, formed by traditional stereotypes, that I was somehow "less than" a boy, because I was completely humiliated by a girl in sports. Sure, you could call it "sexist," on my part (Though for being a kid just out of 6th grade, that seems like a heavy trip to lay on someone). As for me, a growing adolescent, I thought it was confusing. For if I was really a boy, why was I such a poor athlete compared to girls my age? What does it mean to be a "boy" after all?
What made the experience worse is that I hit puberty rather late. Plus, I received little to no sexual education, even in school. As an only child, who was rather shy to begin with, figuring out how I fitted in socially was difficult. I was a bookish nerd, intimidated by the athletic boys, and I generally felt less threatened around girls than with boys. It was not until probably late in my freshman year, that I finally settled on the answer: "Yes, I really was a boy." The biggest factor was in realizing that I was attracted to girls, in a way that I never really felt before. Yep, that was DEFINITELY the game changer.
But it took a while. And I had more than a few doubts along the way. Without going into further detail in this online forum of a blog, let me just say that there was a period of time, perhaps a few months or so, where I was really confused about my gender status.
I look back on those experiences as a kid, as though they are part of a distant land and distant time, particularly the gender crisis I went through in my early high school years. Frankly, this has become one of those life stories that I would rather just forget about.
But the world has vastly changed since then. Vastly.
Today, I am a so-called "typical male," in that I am a single-task operating system, who can not multitask as women generally do. I have a big love for sports and playing sports, my biggest love being for playing soccer. I still like playing in the dirt. I pretty much fit all of the culturally assumed norms being masculine. But back in those childhood and teenage years, I had no one to talk to about my gender insecurities.
Not friends…. (except for perhaps one awkward conversation with one girl I knew in my gym class, so I am not sure if that counts).
Not parents.
Not teachers.
Not someone in my mainline Protestant church. No pastor. No Sunday School teacher. No youth group leader.
Fast forward decades later to 2021: The concept of transgender is now relatively commonplace in colloquial discussion. It is certainly freely talked about in social media, as there is less social stigma. There is a sense that this can be a good thing, as sweeping difficult conversations under the rug is never a good thing.
However, there is another side to this. The rise of what has been described by some as "Transgender-ISM" has become an extremely volatile and politically charged topic. In some alarming cases, government overreach has dictated to people what they can and can not say, a direct threat to free speech (Just ask Jordan Peterson).
We live in the age of Bruce/Caitlyn Jenner. We live in an era when a sitting U.S. President, on his first day in office, signed an executive order to ban discrimination against transgender athletes, a move that supporters say will offer "hope for young trans athletes" (Bryan Armen Graham, in The Guardian), and critics say will signal the end of women's sports (Rod Dreher, in The American Conservative). On top of that, Rachel Levine, an openly transgender doctor, has been nominated to be the new assistant health secretary, a definite first for a top federal official position.
What was once such a personal matter has now triggered a whole culture, set on edge. Struggling people, who would rather not be left exposed in the middle of a culture war, are caught in the crossfire.
One of my nieces coaches girls soccer. Just a couple of years ago she was told to admit to her team a boy who was transitioning to becoming a girl, to play in the position of goalie. "She" became the best player on the team. Something like that would have been unthinkable, just a generation ago. The culture has changed so rapidly within the past decade.
The Transgender Conversation in Today's Post-Modern, Post-Christian Culture
How do Christians today navigate the transgender conversation going on today? Is being male or female a fundamental characteristic of human identity, or is gender merely a social construct? How should one address another person transitioning from one gender to another? What type of pronoun should you use, without compromising your Christian beliefs? These type of questions dominate the minds of Christian believers who work with, go to school with, or who have family members who wrestle with some type of transgendered identity (whatever that really means)…. it also, quietly, keeps a lot of young people, who are confused about their gender, awake at night…. like it did me, back in 9th grade.
Thankfully, there are some very good theological resources for the transgender conversation today. Let me walk you through my journey with some of these resources.
But can you do me a favor here? Can we hold off just a bit on the whole Target's bathroom policy-type stuff? I want to get back to that before the end of this post, but let me lay down some groundwork first.
I first read Andrew T. Walker's 2017 God and the Transgender Debate: What does the Bible actually say about gender identity? a few years ago, as an introduction into the transgender conversation. It offers a good approach, from a conservative evangelical theological viewpoint, that offers nuanced wisdom in how to effectively love someone who is deeply impacted by confusion regarding their gendered experience, while maintaining a theological integrity in affirming that God created every human being in his image, male and female.
However, there is a weakness in Walker's book in that it does not provide sufficient enough insight into the stories and experiences of persons who personally wrestle with such deep and disturbing questions. Furthermore, while Walker's book does cover the general science outlook on gender dysphoria, it does not really dive into some of the more complex scientific issues surrounding gender. As wonderful a book God and the Transgender Debate: What does the Bible actually say about gender identity? is, I still was looking for something with more depth, and even more nuance, that would help me in my conversations with those who have anxiety about their gender…. along the lines of what I experienced as a kid, or way more intense than that.
This is why I was excited to read and review Preston Sprinkle's new book, Embodied: Transgender Identities, The Church, & What the Bible Has to Say. In my view, Preston's earlier book, People to Be Loved: Why Homosexuality Is Not Just an Issue, is the best book available on how to understand questions regarding same-sex attraction and same-sex marriage, from an evangelical and orthodox Christian perspective (I reviewed that book several years ago here on Veracity, with some deeper dive looks at the Bible, prompted by Preston's book: including an examination of the sin of Sodom, the relationship between temptation and sin, the language of Christian "identity," and the history of the word "homosexual" as it has appeared in modern Bible translations).
In Preston Sprinkle's Embodied, the author sets up the book very well in that it emphasizes a variety of stories of persons whom Preston knows, who fall all over the spectrum of transgendered experiences. This is critically important to understand because there is simply no one, single category that defines transgendered experience. Psychologists will typically call transgendered experiences an expression of gender dysphoria, which the American Psychiatric Association defines as "psychological distress that results from an incongruence between one's sex assigned at birth and one's gender identity."
The first step that Preston encourages every Christian to cultivate is an attitude of listening, and learning to know and better understand the experience of someone with gender dysphoria. The second step that Preston encourages is to realize that transgendered experiences are complex, they differ greatly from person to person, and the definition of terms is critically important in an effort to have good conversations with others.
The Problem with Words: How Do You Even Start a Conversation?
The problem of words, and their definitions, and how those definitions can change over time, can not be underestimated. What is the difference between male and female? What is the difference between sex and gender? The list goes on, but thankfully, Preston takes great care to define terms, acknowledging that not everyone even accepts his definitions. For example, Preston prefers the term "trans" over "transgender." Who knew there was a difference? Though primarily a theologian, and not a scientist, Preston does a good job interacting with the science, and explaining different points of view, as expressed in the scientific literature, that is accessible to the general public. But the problem of words and their meanings remains…… And this is not just about pronouns.
Here is a good example of the problem. Preston has a chapter about "intersex," which involves the problem of persons at birth possessing some of sort ambiguity regarding their sex identification. Doctors will put the "sex" of the child on the birth certificate. But what if there is some biological confusion, that makes it difficult to assign one's "sex" with a high degree certainty?
When I was discussing this with my wife, I told her that this "intersex" condition is "rare." It sometimes requires surgery to resolve, but not always. Different authoritative resources regarding intersex will agree that calculating the frequency of intersex conditions assumes that there is a spectrum of difficulties in making a clear determination of a person's sex. I told my wife that one particular estimate of at least some possible condition on the intersex spectrum impacts roughly 1 out of 2000 babies (some of the more rarer conditions rank 1 out of 100,000 or more).
In my mind, that type of ratio, 1 out of 2000, means that intersex is "rare." But my wife objected. In her mind, 1 out of 2000 is not some statistic that could be trusted in that it implies that intersex is rather "common." As a result, she is suspicious of such statistics, as she believes that such "scientific" estimates are more informed by political concerns, and less by science. She believes that such "science" is being used to push an anti-Christian, anti-biblical agenda in the cultural sphere.
Well, 1 out of 2000 still sounds "rare" to me. I mean, compare that to the relatively much more "common" condition of someone on the autism spectrum, which in 2016 has been calculated to be 1 out of 54, by the American Center for Disease Control. But the debate I had with my wife just shows how difficult it can be to navigate such discussions about such a complex topic. How we define words in our conversations make a big difference.
Preston includes some thought provoking chapters on other topics, such as "what about the eunuch?," as Scripture talks about; the ongoing debate about the "material" body versus "immaterial" soul, and how that all relates to gender identity; brain science and sexual differentiation; and the recent explosion of rapid onset gender dysphoria, that is producing intense anxiety for many teenagers today. The overriding theme is that Christians should become better informed about these topics, and when doing so, should exhibit some caution towards coming to premature conclusions.
For people in the workplace, or in school, surely the most difficult question, over the use of words, and their meanings, comes down to what pronoun you should use when talking with a transgendered person: "He?" "She?" "Surely not 'it.' "But what then?" "By using a certain pronoun, am I implicitly endorsing an alien belief system?" "How can I let someone know that I want to be their friend? "
This is a complex topic, with concerns about ideological dogmatism, when it comes to enforcing language codes, which is an affront to free speech, on the one side, versus concerns over offering hospitality to the other person, for the sake of maintaining a friendly relationship. Preston offers an excellent chapter in Embodied, dedicated primarily to this one issue, which is worth the price of the book, on its own.
What Does the Bible Say about Transgender?
The most important chapter in Preston's book is regarding what the Bible says about how being male and female is related to God's good creation. The footnotes alone for this chapter will stimulate the student of Scripture to dig deeper and deeper into God's Word. The bottom line is that according to what is taught in the Bible in Genesis, we are all created in the image of God, male and female. Therefore, fundamentally, sex and ultimately gender are not social constructs. Biological sex plays the much larger definitive role in determining what is male versus female, as opposed to culturally defined expectations of gender characteristics. Someone's gendered experience may not match up with social stereotypes, as it did for a relatively short period of time in my youth.
Large swathes of our society give us very culturally-bound ideas of gender, some that are uniquely Western. For example, American men typically do not hold hands with one another, though women holding hands together is a lot more common. Compare that with the fact that in many developing countries, men will often hold hands with other men. This does not mean that such men are gay, or that they are having some transgendered experience. This simply means that men holding hands with other men are but one cultural expression of gender, a sign of showing affection in male to male friendship. But these varying cultural stereotypes do not mean that being male and female are simply products of culture, in every respect. Instead, the fundamental Christian claim, according to the Bible, is that being created male and female matters to God, and that such differences in being male and female ultimately transcend culture.
Preston does interact with theological viewpoints that do not line up with historically, orthodox Christianity, making a good faith attempt to be as generous as possible with critics. I would probably give Embodied a fully deserved 5-star review, if it were not for the fact that Preston sometimes is overly cautious to a fault, when landing on a firm theological footing (I would give Embodied a 4.5, but Amazon does not allow for fractional reviews, so I decided for a more conservative evaluation and round down slightly). Now, let me be clear here, in case a potential reader might be nervous: Preston does eventually get to and affirm an historical, orthodox theological perspective. But in the process of getting there, through pages and pages of back and forth, yet rightly thorough analysis, Preston may leave some readers puzzled as to why he is as cautious as he is. He puzzled me in a couple of cases.
For example, Preston briefly addresses the question of whether or not intersex is a product of the fall. He has generally opted to say that intersex is indeed a product of the fall of humanity, but that in researching for the book, he has become more cautious in making such a conclusion.
I understand why Preston brings out some caution, and he clearly acknowledges that one of his intersex friends firmly acknowledges that the intersex condition is indeed part of "the fall," and that this knowledge provides a form of comfort. But if that is the case (and I would agree with the viewpoint of Preston's intersex friend), I am puzzled as to why Preston is so cautious as he is. Perhaps it comes down to one's definition and understanding of what "the fall" entails.
How Our Theology of "The Fall" Can Guide Us Through the Transgender Conversation
Going back to my own experience, I grew up also with a significant speech impediment. I stuttered quite frequently during my elementary and middle school years. Thankfully, my stuttering eventually subsided somewhat, and I learned to gain more confidence when I speak with other people. One of my greatest joys in my college years was that I even became a disc jockey for about a year and half, hosting a jazz music program on my college's radio station. I would never have been able to do anything like that, if I had continued stuttering as severely as I did in elementary school.
But I would definitely say that my speech impediment was (and still is) a product of the fall of humanity. I do not believe that God would intentionally create me with a speech impediment, as part of his good design for creation. I look forward to that Resurrection Day, when I will no longer have to worry about how my verbal speech with come out, and embarrass me in front of others.
Nevertheless, God has given me a type of gift, due to that experience of the fall. I am more hesitant to speak, because I am sometimes self-conscious about messing up with my words and syllables in public. As a result, I often find myself more inclined to listen. In a world where so many people want to be heard, I have realized the gift that God has given me to use my hesitancy towards speaking, in learning how to better effectively listen to others, thus gaining more empathy with them.
I would think that experiences of intersexed persons, and transgendered persons (otherwise known as simply "trans"), who go through periods of gender dysphoria, would best frame their experiences in such a theological framework. The experience of being "trans" for a follower of Jesus would lead to the realization that such consequences of the fall also provides opportunities for God to give good gifts to such a person, that most other people will never, ever have. Sin does have consequences, and can impact people through no obvious fault of their own. But God is a God of redemption, who can turn what the Evil One meant for evil into something good. In the process, God's children are given gifts that bring God the most glory possible…. and that is Good News! I think Preston Sprinkle would still agree with me here. I just wish he had come out more firmly on this with less hesitation.
Listening with Compassion, with Theological Clarity
With that caveat in mind, please do not let that deter any reader from picking up Preston Sprinkle's Embodied. The author does a fantastic job giving the reader encouragement, that having experiences of gender dysphoria does not disqualify anyone from being a genuine follower of Jesus. Preston is quite frank in admitting that he has friends, having a "trans" background, who are often some of the most loving and Christ-like persons he has ever met. One need not follow the secular culture, in order to be fully human. No one needs to be dismissive over what Scripture teaches regarding being created in the image of God, as male and female. Instead, we are all challenged to enter in the mystery of celebrating our differences as male and female.
My experience of gender dysphoria, as a young teenager, was pretty mild and short-lived. I rarely ever think about it any more. Others though, have had severe problems, that persist into adulthood, ultimately leading such persons to pursue transitioning into a gender identity contrary to their birth, sexual identity, through various types of medical procedures, such as hormonal treatments, or even surgery. An alarming, growing number of such transitions happen among children. Sadly, many have gone through such experiences, only to ultimately regret such decisions to go through with such hormonal treatments and/or surgery. Preston rightly points out that the mental health risks for those who transition to another gender identity, through surgery, are significantly higher than for those who do not transition. It is a lot more difficult to transition back, than it is to transition in the first place. Sometimes transitioning back is medically impossible. Those reasons alone are important enough, simply from a medical perspective, for those considering transitioning to not take that step of transitioning in the first place, or at least to delay it as much as possible. In many cases, such gender dysphoria disappears over time, assuming a person has a loving environment that supports them.
What about people who have already transitioned? Preston admits that this is a really difficult situation to deal with, for a Christian befriending someone else who has transitioned, whether that other person is a Christian or not. In such situations, it is really best to walk alongside those people who have taken that step, first and foremost as listeners and as a friends, and trust that God will intervene in such a way to bring about healing, according to God's own timing and purposes.
More and more people who have transitioned to the opposite of their birth sex, have been transitioning back, and Preston observes that this number is continually growing, despite the social pressures against transitioning back. But in the final analysis, Prestron rightly affirms that it should be the truth of Scripture that should guide us, and not concerns over what is practical or not.
The Failure and Opportunity of the Church to Model Biblical Masculinity and Femininity
One big problem in many churches today, particularly Protestant evangelical ones, is that many have not figured out a way to model what Christian masculinity and Christian femininity look like. Some fall back on traditional cultural stereotypes. Some Christians are so freaked out by the rise of radical feminism, that women are almost completely marginalized in the use of their God-given gifts for ministry. Others go for the stereotype where the women pretty much do 90% of the "spiritual" work, and the men are just dragged kicking and screaming to church.
Other churches, on the less traditional side of things, have become too quick to show how men and women, particularly in church leadership, are simply interchangeable, whereby there is no real fundamental difference theologically between men and women. Sadly, the whole debate between complementarians and egalitarians, tends to narrowly focus on whether or not women can serve as church officials; particularly as elders, thus missing the more fundamental theological reality, of distinguishing between male and female, within the context of corporate worship (I have written extensively about this particular topic elsewhere on Veracity).
As a result, the sacramental expression of what it means to be a man, and what it means to be a woman, in the life of the church, gets cast aside. Children growing up into adulthood suffer the most, as few young people have an effective means to work through their anxiety, as to what it means to be male and female, in the sight of God, as opposed to simply following cultural imposed patterns of what masculinity and femininity look like.
Rapid changes in Western culture are only making the problem worse. Preston Sprinkle highlights the shocking statistic, just from one study in the United Kingdom, where the number of males questioning their gender has risen by 1460%, and the number of females questioning their gender has risen by 5337%, just in the last ten years.
1460%. 5337%. Those are real numbers. Experiences with gender confusion among American teenagers are not too far behind, as such startling statistics appear to be becoming part of the norm. Christian parents trying to raise their children in today's anxiety ridden culture do not have the luxury of ignoring these massive cultural shifts.
Strangely, the silence of evangelical churches, when it comes to discussing this transgender identity crisis, has become deafening. And when it does get mentioned, if at all, such as in a sermon, it is typically either within the context of just how rotten the culture has become, or chiding less "enlightened" people for their "bigotry."
The idea of men mentoring men (and boys) and women mentoring women (and girls) has become a lost art, in too many churches. How many churches still have men's groups, where they talk about what it means to be a Christian man? How many churches still have women's groups, where they talk about what it means to be a Christian woman? If we want to stem the tide against efforts by the culture to aggressively "normalize" ideologically driven concepts of "transgenderism" (a pejorative label, for some), churches need to do better in modeling what it means to be male and female, even in how we conduct worship services. No matter what churches do, cultivating the art of listening is essential, in figuring out ways to give young people permission to talk about their doubts and experiences.
Our Western culture today has made it socially acceptable to discuss issues related to "trans" people. That is a good thing. Evangelical churches tend to be behind the eight-ball on this, but at least, the secular world offers a variety of counseling, medical, and psychotherapy options for young people to process their anxieties.
On the other hand, the growing rate at which young people are considering themselves to be somewhere on the "trans" spectrum is particularly alarming. The drive to somehow "normalize" such "trans" experiences, even in psychological counseling, is particularly outrageous. We hear stories of concerned parents who want to immediately rush to give their child sex hormone therapy, if the child begins to experience even the mildest form of gender dysphoria. The shocking rise of rapid onset gender dysphoria, particularly among girls, over the past decade is horrifying….. and yes, there are legitimate concerns that Target's bathroom policy might invite "fake" trans-people to take advantage of such policies and invade the private space of women. Who will speak out for the protection of women, who feel threatened by cultural shifts like this? Or will they experience the disdain of "cancel culture," that the Harry Potter author, J.K. Rowling experienced?
But as Preston Sprinkle reminds the reader, fits of outrage and horror do not lead to healing and real change. Instead, it is through the expression of the love of Christ, through listening to others, that real change happens. We need less of our love for outrage and more outrageous love.
Take a deep breath.
Be a part of the conversation, instead of always rushing to pontificate on just how awful the culture has become…. or how closed-minded others on your Facebook page appear.
One simple (though perhaps still expensive) suggestion for churches, would be to offer single-person-use bathrooms in church facilities (what some might call "family restrooms"). That one act, of providing a restroom where a "trans" person can discreetly take care of business, is an excellent way to offer hospitality to someone who is new to your church, that might lower the anxiety and stress level of a visitor. Installing signage, that indicates that a single-person-use restroom is just down the hall, is a great way of saying to a "trans" person that they are welcome to visit your church.
Extending Outrageous Love to Trans-Persons
Preston tells one story that really stands out to me, that of Lesli, who was biologically born female, but who went through a confusing, difficult period of gender dysphoria. When she confided her struggles with her pastor, the pastor escorted her out the church back door, and told her never to come back again. She left the Christian faith at that point. She ended up becoming a lesbian, and married another woman. But when her same-sex marriage partner died, she wanted to find some way for her spouse to have a decent funeral. Lesli finally worked up the courage to call some church office, out of the blue, and ask if the pastor there could perform the funeral for her deceased partner. Instead of giving Lesli a knee-jerk theological justification for condemning homosexuality and the transgender "lifestyles", the pastor simply said, "We would be honored to [help out, and perform the funeral service]." It was that loving expression by that Christian pastor that eventually led Lesli to return to the Christian faith.
That is a challenging message. Yet that is the challenging message that undergirds Preston Sprinkle's excellent Embodied. We need to land somewhere between oversimplifying the growing transgender awareness in our culture, as merely a Satanically-inspired political conspiracy, and on the other side, a fear-based resolve that we must choose between transitioning and suicide, as the only alternatives for moving through transgender conversations.
Sadly, some of the folks I know who would probably benefit the most from reading Embodied are most likely those ones who will not read it. I am just as horrified, as are many other Christians, as to how aggressively "transgenderism", as a negative ideological category, has become a forceful cultural, even an activist, political movement. Likewise, I am also deeply concerned about the connection between suicide rates and gender insecurities.
But what this is ultimately about is people. People who wrestle with some form a gender dysphoria are people whom Jesus sought to die for, that they might be reconciled to God and find healing. What is really needed is a way for Christians to trust Jesus enough to give them the wisdom necessary to know how to best extend the hand of Christian friendship, to someone who wrestles with transgendered experiences.
Beginning February 1, 2021, pick up the book at Amazon, Embodied: Transgender Identities, the Church, and What the Bible Has to Say, by Preston Sprinkle, or wherever you can find it. Try out the audiobook, if you prefer, as Preston reads his own book, which is a great experience. This has become my "go-to" resource for addressing this critical and deeply sensitive issue today.
In the following discussion between Preston Sprinkle and Christina Beardsley, an openly transgender person, who is also a priest in the Church of England, I found the conversation to be difficult to follow at times, but it just shows how complex the cultural conversation is. One of the best ways we can love a transgender person is to try to figure out how people define the words they use in conversations.
4 Comments | tags: eunuchs, intersex, Preston sprinkle, transgender | posted in Topics
Is Paul Contradicting Genesis, Regarding Gender, in Galatians 3:28?
Unless you have been living under a rock for the past twenty years or so, you will know that some elements of Western culture have been chipping away at the classic, historical Scriptural distinction between male and female. Some well-meaning, well-intentioned folks, even in the church, have been encouraging this movement along, in some unfortunately unhelpful ways.
Granted, for the past hundred years, many evangelical egalitarians have sought to restore a sense of balance, by advocating for more women in church leadership, at the local church level, by citing Paul's "magna carta" passage Galatians 3:28. In general, most Christians support this understanding, at some level:
"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus"
The original context for Paul's writing in Galatians is to address who can and can not be baptized, in the church. For Paul, gender is no prohibition to baptism, as opposed to something like circumcision, which was just for Jewish males. But many Christians today have appealed to Galatians 3:28, as having a broader application, advancing causes, such has encouraging women to serve as elders in the local church. Such proponents of this interpretation contend that Paul is eliminating the distinction between male and female, when it come to exercising spiritual authority, in the local church.
This is a disputable matter, in much of evangelicalism today (though for some, on either side of the debate, the issue is "indisputable," favoring their particular reading of the Bible). Many are quite correct to say that there need not be a slippery slope here, away from more difficult matters concerning gender. I would agree.
Yet it is amazing to see how many corners of the church manage to find creative ways of sliding here, anyway. At one level, it is understandable. There is still sexism in the church. Correcting past wrongs is something all Christians need to pursue, and Galatians 3:28 has an appropriate application here. Affirming the gifts of both women and men, for ministry, is essential. But it is also very easy to go too far with Galatians 3:28, and get caught up in extremism.
For example, quite a few in the church now appeal to Galatians 3:28 as sanctioning same-sex marriage, and a growing number are now affirming transgenderism, in such a way, as to go beyond the traditional understanding of gender dysphoria, as a psychological condition. Such a broad range of advocates all agree, in putting forward the thesis, that gender is no big deal to God, though the applications differ. Along with the surrounding culture, such advocates now treat gender as merely being a social construct, even to the point of denying the traditional basics of human biology, which is an attack on modern science.
Just recently, I heard the newest argument, being advanced in at least one mainline Protestant, or what some would call "progressive Christian" circle, that Paul's teaching in Galatians 3:28 is actually CONTRADICTING the teaching in Genesis, regarding humans being created in the image of God: male and female, God created humanity. Underlying this belief is the assumption that because male and female are inherently equal, male and female are therefore inherently interchangeable.
Here is the crucial passage, that Paul is supposedly contradicting:
"So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them." (Genesis 1:27 ESV)
Has gender really become irrelevant today?
Regardless of how this question is answered, what it clearly has become, is a free speech matter, in the surrounding culture. Consider the "cancel culture" attempt to silence Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling. Rowling voiced her concerns that some elements of the transgender movement are harming women, and she paid dearly for making such statements. Yet Rowling is not alone.
Journalists and academics are now finding that their careers are under threat, if they do not bow to the "new orthodoxy" advanced by "critical theory." Note that it is not specifically conservative evangelicals, who find themselves under threat. These are also liberal, secular minded people, including atheists and agnostics, who nevertheless share the historical Christian claim, and scientific observation, that there is a distinction between male and female. Christians therefore, should be careful not to lump all "liberals" into the same basket. Some of these leftward leaning, secular thinkers recently signed an open letter in Harper's Magazine, urging that all respect the freedom of speech, including statements that claim that gender actually matters, and that gender is not merely a social construct.
Let me be clear: We should not overreact, as some have unfortunately done (The recent debacle that has almost destroyed one of my favorite podcasts, the Mortification of Spin, is a good example of extremism, on the conservative evangelical side).
Instead, we should encourage women to use their gifts for leadership and ministry in the church. We should affirm justice in society (including those areas pertaining to race). We should encourage those who experience same-sex attraction to have a solid network of supportive friendships, as they seek to honor God regarding their sexuality. We should also have compassion on and extend grace towards those who are experiencing gender dysphoria.
But let us also be united in affirming the teaching of Scripture: We were created in the image of God, male and female. This means that while male and female are indeed equal, they are not interchangeable. This is a mystery that reflects the very character of God. It is vital for the church to uphold a means of honoring that distinction, within the structure of corporate worship, and the Christian life.
Affirming the unity of our baptism into Christ's church does not go against the rest of Scripture. So, let us stop misusing Paul's statement in Galatians 3:28 in a misguided effort at supposedly "contradicting" Genesis.
Canadian psychologist and Harvard professor Steven Pinker is now among the latest to have experienced threats from the "cancel culture" mob. While I do not share professor Pinker's atheism, nor his missteps regarding history, as a Christian I fully support his efforts to protect free speech. As Christians, we should honor those values that encourage open debate and wide ranging discussion, without fear of retribution:
3 Comments | tags: cancel culture, critical race theory, galatians 3:28, gender, intersectionality, transgender | posted in Topics
Statements: What Does Nashville Have to Do With Chicago?
On August 29, 2017, a group of evangelical leaders announced the signing of the Nashville Statement. If you have not heard of it, you should go and read it for yourself.
The Nashville Statement was crafted by the leadership of the Council for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW), in response to recent cultural changes regarding the public acceptance of gay marriage and transgender identification. For those Christians who have felt that the evangelical church has not taken a firm enough stand against these cultural trends, this is a boldly direct statement that such Christians should spend some time carefully studying.
CBMW originally had its beginnings, in the 1980s, opposing the acceptance of women as elders and/or pastors, in churches, as well as affirming male-headship in the home. But now, with the Nashville Statement, under the leadership of Bible professor Denny Burk, CBMW has broadened its scope to "equip the church on the meaning of biblical sexuality."
Why is it called the Nashville Statement? Well, because, like other Christian confessional documents, ranging from the Nicene Creed, to the Augsburg Confession, to the Westminster Confession, it was written in Nashville, Tennessee. It contains a listing of articles, made of various affirmations ("WE AFFIRM") and denials ("WE DENY"), that seek to address a biblical approach to gender dysphoria and same-sex desire and behavior.
The written style of the Nashville Statement is therefore much like the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, drafted in Chicago, in the 1970s. Like the Chicago Statement, the Nashville Statement enjoys some of the same positive characteristics as well as suffering some of the same problems that these type of documents have.
As I have written about before, the Chicago Statement succeeded in defining a view of biblical authority, that many evangelical Christians could rally around and support, rightly affirming the Bible's truthfulness. On the other hand, the Chicago Statement was unsuccessful in resolving a number of issues surrounding how the Bible is to be interpreted. Much of the challenge that has arisen, since the Chicago Statement's signing, involves how terms, like inerrancy, that are not explicitly mentioned in the Bible, are to be defined and applied in Christian hermeneutics.
The Nashville Statement carries much of the same properties, but within a different scope. The Nashville Statement is already gathering an impressive number of Christian leaders, across a wide set of backgrounds, who have publicly signed onto the document. It affirms the beliefs that Christians have held for 2000 years. In our sexually confused world, this is a big deal. I would not be surprised if the Nashville Statement becomes a unifying banner for many, if not most, conservative evangelicals.
Alas, the Nashville Statement has its difficulties. It uses terminology and language that some might find antiquated, offensive, or otherwise, difficult to define, such as "homosexual," "divinely ordained differences between male and female" (Article 3 & 4), "homosexual or transgender self-conception" (Article 7), and "transgenderism" (Article 10). What does all of this mean?
For example, does the Nashville Statement mean that those who identify as gay and celibate persons can consider themselves as being fully Christian, or does it preclude such self-identification? I honestly do not know. As far as I can tell, many of the signers (and non-signers) of Nashville themselves are deeply divided on this.
There has been a firestorm of criticism from the progressive wing of Christianity, such as this counter-statement, Christians United: In Support of LGBT+ Inclusion in the Church. However, there have also been a different set of criticisms from other conservative evangelicals.
From my perspective, I would not have written such a document in the same manner. While the Nashville Statement affirms central ideas that I would strongly endorse, like in defending a biblical concept of marriage, I doubt that it successfully casts a vision of how to reach out to an LGBT+ population, that remains either hidden in silence in, or already alienated from, evangelical churches.
This is a pastoral crisis in our churches, and it has been that way for years. A 2009 study shows that teenagers who struggle with same-sex desires, many of whom come from Christian families, who experience rejection from their families, are 8.4 times more likely to attempt suicide, than other teenagers. I personally know a number of folks who have left evangelical church communities, feeling that evangelical churches are not safe and supportive environments for addressing LGBT+ questions.
I pay close attention to the writings of Mark Yarhouse, professor of clinical psychology at Regent University, in Virginia Beach, who believes that the Nashville Statement lacks the type of nuanced, mature reflection necessary to address extremely difficult and complex questions surrounding gender dysphoria, that many Christians, and often even scientists and psychologists today, do not know that much about. I also agree strongly with the critique offered by theologian Preston Sprinkle, author of People To Be Loved. The Nashville Statement will be a rallying point for many Christians, in that it affirms an approach to biblical sexuality. But it offers very little in terms of how Christians can faithfully love and care for friends, neighbors, co-workers, and family members who struggle with sexual and gender identity issues. As Preston Sprinkle puts it, the evangelical conversation in this area typically "has been profoundly impersonal and one-sided (lots of truth and very little grace)."
Will the Nashville Statement have the staying power of a Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, or even a Nicene Creed? I do not know. Either way, I do hope for something better in evangelical churches, a Christian vision that fosters a spiritual posture that enables Christians to be agents of healing, as opposed to having the reputation as being agents of condemnation.
2 Comments | tags: intersex, Nashville Statement, same-sex attraction, same-sex marriage, transgender | posted in Topics
Jen Hatmaker and the Frustrated Evangelical Response to LGBTQ
The Babylon Bee, a Christian satire website, unveiled a clever piece on Jen Hatmaker recently, expressing the type of dismay that many evangelical Christians are thinking. But are we really hearing the message underneath Jen Hatmaker's public pronouncement?
Over the past week or so, Jen Hatmaker, the funny and vivacious reality TV star of the HGTV show, "My Big Family Renovation," rocked the social-media world of evangelicalism asunder. Jen Hatmaker, a favorite in MOPS circles (that is, Mothers Of PreSchoolers, a very active group in our church), and popular speaker at various Christian women's conferences, in an interview, publicly stated her affirmation of gay and lesbian marriages as potentially holy.
Well, this probably had the same effect as setting a stack of Bibles on fire.
Jen Hatmaker is but one in a steady stream of high-profile, evangelical celebrities and leaders to jump ship from supporting a traditional, evangelical view of human sexuality, to supporting gay and lesbian marriage in the church, over the past few years. Just off the top of my head, I can think of Rob Bell, Tony Campolo, and singer songwriter Jennifer Knapp, too. What was unthinkable ten or twenty years ago, is now becoming more common, as otherwise traditional "Bible-believers" are willing to discard 2,000 years of Christian teaching, particularly in the wake of the June, 2015 Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges.
What makes Jen Hatmaker a bit different is because she is not a pastor, or a theologian, or a super-talented singer. She comes across as a very down-to-earth, spunky, disarmingly honest and homespun happy mother, who has the same type of problems all of us have… and she has 109 thousand Twitter followers. That means that there are probably at least a handful of busy MOPS women in your conservative, evangelical church, who are probably a bit bewildered as to why Jen Hatmaker is making such a public stand on this topic.
These are not folks out there in liberal, mainline churches, who long ago dropped their commitment to biblical authority. Rather, they could be sitting next to you at your Bible-believing fellowship.
There is confusion in our churches.
What are we to make of this trend? How does someone with a high view of Scripture respond? Continue reading
3 Comments | tags: same-sex attraction, same-sex marriage, transgender | posted in Topics


One of my life's most heroic moments happened in 1993 right after my graduation from grade school. My classmates and I, together with two of our class advisers, decided to celebrate at a nearby resort. Since the students significantly outnumbered the chaperones, we of course never expected them to be able to keep an eye on all of us, all the time.
I was confident to go to the deepest part of the swimming pool because I knew how to swim and I was trained by my father since I was a little kid. Anyway, while I was floating in 6 feet deep water one of my friends, who also happened to be the shortest girl in our class named Joan, jumped into the water thinking that it was shallow.
I was so terrified when I saw her jump in because I knew that she didn't know how to swim. On top of that, there were no other people around at the time. In my mind I knew that there was not enough time for me to get help, come back, and be able to save my friend.
Saving her was very risky on my part but I was glad that it worked. The whole experience taught me a great lesson – that staying calm and having presence of mind despite pressure and tension will not only enable me to help others but will also protect my own life.
Here are 4 things you need to learn to help you stay calm and regain rationality when you're caught in the middle of a huge wave of a crisis.
First of all, you have to believe that everything that's happening in your life serves a higher purpose. If you don't, you will have a hard time understanding the situation and you will fail to see the bigger picture.
Your willingness to look at the bright side of things and focus on the positive, no matter how hard your situation may be, helps you replace your negative thoughts with ideal resolutions to your problems.
Ladies, having an equal measure of calm and confidence, or in other words, grace and poise, are necessary to attain positive results in all aspects of life.
It is important to take a break from life stresses by creating some time for yourself and taking a pause every time you find yourself in an overwhelming situation. This helps you broaden your perspective, come up with better decisions and achieve positive outcomes.
So, never let your whole well-being suffer by creating time for some self-care to lower down your stress levels and find your inner peace.
Writer Machel Shull shares a wonderful technique to help you have more energy and freshness to move forward with life every single day with this 15-minute morning routine.
According to a well-known author on personal time management Alan Lakein, "Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now." Without having a concrete course of action in mind to reach your goals and fulfill your visions, there's no doubt you will end up in great loss and deep trouble.
In taking care of personal finances, for instance, many people commit the mistake of procrastinating, so when they end up experiencing unexpected windfalls or financial emergencies, they have a hard time pulling their crap together.
Ladies, to see the good in every situation, you must first understand that challenges are not meant to destroy you. Instead, you must see them as opportunities to make things better and for you to become a stronger person.
Spirit Science offers an easy and interesting way for you live a happier and a more fulfilling life. The piece explains exactly how smiling literally reprograms your brain to build connections and increase positive feelings.
So, whenever you feel that nothing is going right in your life, just try to pull those facial muscles a little and wear a beautiful, genuine smile to literally make things better!
I fell into the procrastination group when it came to finances. I just didn't want to know. I now check everything, almost daily. I want to know where my money is and it helps me track what I'm spending it on.
Press the pause button. Oh my goodness, this is perfect advice for me. Pause life, pause stress! I am going to work on this and implement this into my everyday life.
If only pushing the pause button on stress was that easy. I would love to get rid of all the stress in my life. I guess in a way I do pause stress. I work out daily, mostly at kickboxing classes. When I go to class I'm stressed. I think of nothing but sweating and beating the crap out of the bag. No stress, just sweat.
I too was like this when I was younger. I now look at my bank account weekly. You can't get anywhere in life financially if you don't know where you stand. People need to realize that.
I'm not really good at controlling my emotions and thoughts. What I always remember is to do my best in every situation so I won't regret it later. It helps to keep myself positive and analyze what I can or can't do to fix the situation.
That sounds like a great way to push the stress out of your day. I think if we all were more positive and thought about getting rid of the stress, we would all be happier.
I can totally agree with the thought process of just smiling to make things better. When I'm miserable I try to smile. It usually helps soften my mood.
Whenever I feel down, I just watch something funny like cute cat videos and it really works. It only takes me a couple of minutes before I notice that my mood is completely changed.
Laughing is so good for the soul! I will often tell people that if I don't laugh I'll cry, and it is so true! I have often gotten through my darkest days by laughing with friends, or surrounding myself with positive people. It really does help!


text:
BPD commish shows his blue colors
By CommonWealth Staff	ACLU, Willie Gross	0 Comments Nov 28, 2018
Willie Gross's weekend Facebook post may have received lots of "likes" from law enforcement compatriots, but it stirred a lot of unnecessary ill will in a city that has been long stained by racial tension but so far escaped the police-community showdowns that have riven other US cities in recent years.
Boston's newly installed police commissioner took to social media to unspool an angry rant at leaders of the local ACLU, whom he branded "paper warriors" because of a lawsuit the group filed seeking to gain more information about a database the police department uses to track alleged gang members.
The ACLU says it's concerned that some undocumented Latin American teens are inaccurately being branded as gang members, and that the information may be making them more vulnerable to deportation. The group's director, Carol Rose, lashed out at Gross, saying he was trying "to divert attention from the serious issues raised by an ACLU lawsuit."
Globe columnist Kevin Cullen says Gross's resentment of the group is "human nature," given that the ACLU focuses a lot of energy on questionable police conduct. But fellow Globe columnist Adrian Walker calls the commissioner's outburst "baffling," especially given Gross's reputation for fostering positive relationships with the community and groups that represent it.
Walker says "there is nothing insulting about criminal justice advocates asking questions of a police department." Gross is the city's first black police commissioner, and Walker adds that the backlash against a white police chief making the same comments would have been far stronger.
Mayor Marty Walsh, meanwhile, probably wanted to talk about almost anything other than the Gross-ACLU dustup. Reluctant to weigh in strongly on either side, he was left to wax bromidic about his respect for both.
"The ACLU has a very important role in society and we support them on their role. I'm going to continue to support them on their role, but I support my police commissioner and my police department," Walsh said yesterday.
Herald columnist Joe Battenfeld slammed Walsh yesterday for not standing four-square with the police. "No more wishy-washy statements trying to pander to both sides," he wrote.
It may have been driven by a calculated wish not to offend either side, but Walsh nonetheless seemed to hit the right notes by suggesting both the police and ACLU play important and worthy roles.
Gross ripped the ACLU for not being there when police are patrolling dangerous streets or forced to tell a mother that her or son or daughter is dead as a result of gang violence. Should we also take issue with state officials who are trying to improve utility safety because they're not the ones who drop down into manholes to carry out emergency pipeline repairs in middle of freezing winter nights?
You can understand Gross's impulse, but still see the logic missing in his tirade. Gross has lots of friends around Boston, of both the Facebook and everyday-garden variety, and they cross every demographic line. That's part of the promise he holds to be a great police commissioner — if he can keep it in mind.
MUNICIPAL MATTERS
Mayor Marty Walsh wants to sell a prime bit of city-owned real estate along the Southeast Expressway for redevelopment — with a soccer stadium for the New England Revolution among possible uses — but City Councilor Michelle Wu says there has yet not been enough public vetting of the issue and possible uses for the land. (Boston Globe)
A Berkshire Eagle editorial applauds Pittsfield's Homelessness Prevention Committee for holding its first meeting. CommonWealth recently reported how homelessness is an emerging issue in western Massachusetts.
The Dorchester Historical Society apologizes for a holiday greeting card that said: "We're dreaming of a white Dorchester." (WBUR)
Pittsfield forgives $2.55 million in loans awarded to the Beacon Cinema in a bid to pave the way for a new theater chain to take over and reopen it. (Berkshire Eagle)
Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone will be sidelined for several weeks after developing a severe case of shingles. (Boston Herald)
WASHINGTON/NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL
US Rep. Seth Moulton is continuing to insist that there are enough Democrats to block Nancy Pelosi from becoming speaker, but his insurgent group still doesn't have a candidate to rally around. (WBUR) But the post-mortems are already beginning on his attempt to push leadership change, with speculation over whether Moulton will pay a price for his efforts. (Boston Globe)
A federal court rules that state anti-camping laws, which are often designed to prevent homeless people from sleeping on the streets, can't be enforced if the person really has nowhere to sleep. (Governing)
Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, who brought Mississippi's shameful past into the present with an offhand remark about public hangings, held off Democratic challenger Mike Espy in a closer than expected runoff, winning 53-47. (New York Times)
Could Ed Markey face a primary challenge in 2020? (Boston Globe)
BUSINESS/ECONOMY
Facing a backlash, the owners of Trillium Brewing Company restored wages that had been cut in the company's new Fort Point outlet. (Boston Globe)
Community members in New Bedford gathered at a forum to oppose charter school expansion. (South Coast Today)
Brockton superintendent Kathleen Smith earned positive reviews from the city's school committee, which commended her for good performance despite a shrinking budget for the department. (The Enterprise)
Newton teachers got support from students, fellow teachers, and administrators against charges of anti-Semitism in their curriculum. (Boston Globe)
A former Cohasset middle school teacher, who is already facing criminal charges of molesting a student, will now face further charges as a second former student has come forward alleging she was also molested by him. (Patriot Ledger)
HEALTH/HEALTH CARE
Patients are complaining to Attorney General Maura Healey about visits to physicians' offices or urgent care centers that result in huge charges for "outpatient hospital" visits. (Boston Globe)
A physicians group is urging children's hospitals not to serve hot dogs to their patients because the food is unhealthy and a choking hazard. (Salem News)
A commuter rail train on the Fitchburg line derailed yesterday in Belmont when a wheel fell off, stranding 800 passengers, but causing no injuries. (Boston Herald)
The head of transportation policy for Uber makes the case for congestion-pricing of area roadways. (Boston Globe)
New MBTA wash trains deal with slippery rail conditions caused by fallen decomposed leaves on the commuter rail. (WGBH)
A Herald editorial says declining ridership on the MBTA is concerning, but cautions that hiking fares and parking fees in face of revenue shortfalls is not the answer.
Few people have ever heard of the region's wholesale electricity market, but it's responsible for keeping the lights on in New England, Right now, it's going through tough times. (CommonWealth)
The Berkshire Museum said it is halting its money-raising art sale after selling just 22 pieces for $53 million. The museum had originally planned to sell 40 pieces. (WBUR)
CASINOS/MARIJUANA
Consumers spent more than $2.2 million at the state's two retail pot shops during their first five days in business. (State House News Service) The two shops spent $39,000 on police details. (MassLive)
CRIMINAL JUSTICE/COURTS
A federal judge has ordered the Essex County House of Correction to provide an inmate with medication to treat an addiction to opiates, ruling that denying the treatment could violate the Americans with Disabilities Act and other constitutional protections. (Boston Globe)
CommonWealth Staff
WCVB-TV reporter Jorge Quiroga will retire at the end of the year after nearly 45 years at the station.
Howie Carr gets the Boston Magazine treatment.
Tagged in: ACLU/ Willie Gross
‹ Change-agent Pressley backs Pelosi Region's electricity market in trouble ›

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Those who make it through the auditions will perform for a panel of judges on May 22nd, 2009.
Van Django is an acoustic string ensemble whose music is well-rooted in the gypsy jazz of 1930's Paris France, but beyond that it's all pure blue-skying; flights of dazzling fancy, driving rhythms and boundless creativity. The quartet was formed in 1998 and is made up of four of Canada's most talented and eclectic musicians- violinist Cameron Wilson, guitarist Budge Schachte, guitarist/cellist Finn Manniche and bassist Laurence Mollerup.
Since the groups formation they have toured throughout Canada and more recently, are making inroads internationally with forays into the US and abroad, including a European tour in May 2009. They have twice been featured guests of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra and have performed in a shared concert appearance with the John Jorgenson Quintette at "Djangofest Northwest" in Western Washington September 2008 as well as a return performance in September 2009.
Squamish's own soprano divas Kelly Coubrough, Melissa Braun and Veronica McPhee, accompanied by Angus Kellet on piano, will be giving a performance on March 8th 2009 at 3:00 pm. These three talented women will showcase their unique individual styles with solo offerings as well as show the breadth of their talent with some group numbers. The Three Sopranos will introduce Soprano favorites from many genres of music that will surely become audience favorites. The program for The Three Sopranos is sure to impress and thrill all listeners.


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CIVIONS
Home Science Trump Opens Habitat of a Threatened Owl to Timber Harvesting
Trump Opens Habitat of a Threatened Owl to Timber Harvesting
Ani G
Conservationists said that assertion was unsupported by the agency's own evidence. In December, the Fish and Wildlife Service ruled that the northern spotted owl should actually be reclassified, as endangered rather than threatened, but the agency said it would not take steps to do so because it had "higher priority actions."
Now the administration is taking away critical protection, scientists say.
Northern spotted owls live in forests with dense, multilayered canopies and other features that take 150 to 200 years to develop, the Fish and Wildlife Service has said. They typically mate for life and breed relatively slowly. Threatened by logging and land conversion, they came under protection in 1990 after a fierce political fight, but their numbers have continued to decline by an average of about 4 percent a year, according to the service.
While the preserved habitat offers "some protection," the service's Oregon branch wrote on its website, "past trends suggest that much of the remaining unprotected habitat could disappear in 10 to 30 years." To make matters worse, the barred owl from the Eastern U.S. has presented a new challenge, entering its habitat and competing for the same resources. Wildfires worsened by climate change pose an increasing threat.
The logging industry argues that the federal government has been protecting millions of acres of forests that are not occupied by the owls. In April, the American Forest Resource Council, a regional industry group that presses for logging on public lands, announced that it had reached an agreement with the service that would kick off a re-evaluation of the owl's protected habitat. In August, after what the service called "a review of the best available scientific and commercial information," it proposed reducing the protected area by about 205,000 acres.
The forestry group applauded the much steeper reduction announced Wednesday that opens more than three million acres.
"This rule will better align northern spotted owl critical habitat with actual habitat, federal laws, and modern forest science at a time when unprecedented and severe wildfires threaten both owls and people from Northern California to Washington State," Travis Joseph, president of the American Forest Resource Council, said in a statement.
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Rebroadcast: Search and Rescue in N.H. - Pushing the Limits
By The Exchange • Dec 25, 2019
Andrew Drummond/Ski the Whites
In addition to hikers on N.H.'s many trails, there are also a growing number of trail runners, backcountry skiers, bikers and climbers. As adventurers in New Hampshire's backcountry press at limits previously untested or left alone, this trend is joined by modern technology in presenting a new series of challenges for rescuers and for society in general.
Original Air date: Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019
Fifty-Two With A View: Fall Hiking in N.H.
By The Exchange • Oct 9, 2019
Ken MacGray
We celebrate the fall hiking season with the author of a self-published guidebook, "52 With A View: A Hiker's Guide," detailing the New Hampshire peaks under 4000-feet with trails and a rewarding vista. Originally conceived in the late 70s by a group called the "Over The Hill" hikers in Sandwich, the 52 peaks are located throughout the state, and are appropriate for different hiking abilities - lower elevation does not necessarily mean less challenging! Send us an email and photo of your favorite hike with a view in N.H.! Air date: Thursday, Oct. 10, 2019
Rock Climber Suffers Life-Threatening Injuries After 50-Foot Fall at Cannon Cliffs
Courtesy N.H. Fish & Game
New Hampshire authorities say a rock climber fell about 50 feet in the Franconia Notch area Sunday and suffered life-threatening injuries.
Conservation officers say a 20-year-old man was climbing on the Cannon Cliffs when he fell. The climber was unconscious and stuck on a ledge just halfway up the cliff.
A National Guard Blackhawk helicopter crew worked with rescuers to lower a medic 160 feet to the injured climber, who was hoisted into the helicopter.
The helicopter took the man to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center for treatment.
Owl's Head: The Best or Worst of N.H.'s 4000 Footers?
By Sean Hurley • Sep 16, 2019
Sean Hurley
Owl's Head mountain in Franconia was briefly in the news after a hiker died there last week. Officials say it was a medical emergency made more complicated by the trail's remote location.
Among hikers, Owl's Head is a regular topic of conversation. To some, it's the best hike in the state....for others, the worst.
NHPR's Sean Hurley has recently set out to reach the summit of all of New Hampshire's 48 mountains over 4,000 feet. Owl's Head was a natural place to start.
Hiker Dies After Medical Emergency Near Owl's Head Mountain in Franconia
New Hampshire authorities say a 62-year-old hiker suffered a medical emergency while hiking and died.
Conservation officers say the man, who was from New Hampshire, was near Owl's Head Mountain in Franconia on Monday afternoon.
Rescue crews responded and an Army National Guard Helicopter was requested, due to the remote location.
The helicopter crew was able to hoist the man and his wife on board and took them to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. The man was pronounced dead at the hospital.
His name has not been released.
Injured Hiker Rescued in N.H.'s White Mountains
By Associated Press • Jul 8, 2019
The New Hampshire Fish & Game Department says an injured hiker had to be rescued in the White Mountain National Forest.
Authorities say the 56-year-old man suffered a non-life threatening injury while hiking down Dickey Mountain on the Welch and Dickey Loop Trail on Saturday.
Rescuers from around the area carried the man down the trail in a litter.
Man Dies While Hiking Mount Monadnock
By Associated Press • May 28, 2019
Authorities say a 78-year-old man suffered a medical emergency and died while hiking along New Hampshire's Mount Monadnock on Memorial Day.
Lt. William Boudreau of the state Fish and Game Department said the man, who was from Massachusetts, and two companions were on a trail in Jaffrey. They were just below the summit of Mount Monadnock when the man became unresponsive about 9:15 a.m. Monday.
White Mountain Officials Urge Hikers Use Caution Over Memorial Day Weekend
WMNF
White Mountain National Forest officials are reminding visitors to be prepared for slippery rocks, spring melt-off and high stream crossing levels this Memorial Day weekend.
Officials say be sure to check weather conditions for the area that you're planning to visit. Some places still have snow.
Not all forest system roads are open for the season yet. Road openings are posted regularly online.
Most campgrounds are open, but food and trash should be properly stored so as not to attract bears.
Muddy! Snowy! Buggy! Beautiful! Memorial Day Weekend Hiking Conditions in the Whites
By Sean Hurley • May 24, 2019
Ken Gallager
Trails in the White Mountains could be more challenging this holiday weekend. As NHPR's Sean Hurley reports many still show signs of winter.
It may be summer in New Hampshire but Frank Carus, with the Forest Service, says most of our taller peaks don't know it yet. "We've had a lot of snow," Carus says, "and you're going to run into snow anywhere between 3,500 hundred and 4000 feet."
Laid-Back Hiking
By The Exchange • May 24, 2019
With temperatures warming up, you may be itching to get outside. But where to go and how to get started - especially with kids? New Hampshire is blessed with plenty of hiking trails, especially in the White Mountains, as well as networks of trails around its cities and towns. We discover favorite trails and uncover some new discoveries, and discuss how to keep it fun for everyone involved.
N.H. Fish & Game Rescuers Come to Aid of Sick Teen Camper
By Associated Press • Apr 30, 2019
New Hampshire Fish and Game Department conservation officers have come to the aid of a 16-year-old who became ill while out on a hike with over 20 students in Easton.
An emergency beacon was activated in the area of Clay Brook on Monday afternoon. The beacon was registered to The Mountain School of Vershire, Vermont.
Officers learned that students and three adult chaperones were camping in the area. One adult was able to hike out and drive to a home to call for assistance.
Wind, Footsteps, White Snow: Spending The Night At Mount Washington's Harvard Cabin
By Sean Hurley • Mar 22, 2019
If you're looking to sleep overnight on Mount Washington in the winter you have two choices. You can stay at the Hermit Lake Shelters near Tuckerman Ravine - or you can stay at the go-to-spot for winter climbers - Harvard Cabin near the base of Huntington Ravine. But, as NHPR's Sean Hurley learned when he recently spent a night at Harvard Cabin, the pleasures of those winter days are matched by their dangers - and the responsibilities of the two mountain caretakers go beyond simply keeping track of guests.
Wind. Footsteps. White snow.
Mt. Major Becomes N.H.'s First 'Hot Spot' For Low-Impact Hiker Training
By Annie Ropeik • Mar 11, 2019
Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
Local forest stewards will get trained this summer on how to help hikers enjoy Mount Major more – without leaving as much behind.
The popular hiking spot in the Lakes Region was one of fewer than 20 hiking spots chosen nationwide to be the focus of training from the Leave No Trace program.
Leave No Trace: Finding Balance in Outdoor Ethics
By The Exchange • Mar 7, 2019
New Hampshire's mountains attract visitors year-round, and avid hikers are the among the biggest ambassadors of Leave No Trace, a set of principles and best practices for sharing and conserving wilderness areas. But while most people agree on the broad strokes, sorting out the details can be an emotional and argumentative affair. The Outside/In podcast team joins us to discuss outdoor ethics and how we enjoy nature.
New Measurement Data Means New Hampshire's Famed '4000 Footer' List May Be Changing
By Sean Hurley • Feb 26, 2019
Jeremy R. Clark
The White Mountains are a legendary playground for hikers. For those who like an extra challenge there's the New Hampshire 48 – the 48 mountains in the state with elevations over 4,000 feet.
But a new survey is calling almost all our summit elevations into question - and signal a possible change to the famous list of New Hampshire's 4000 footers.
Something Wild: Hiking to Escape
By Andrew Parrella, Dave Anderson & Chris Martin • Jan 22, 2019
Over the years, we've spoken to a lot people – mostly biologists – about how they were first bitten by the nature bug. Since these stories came from people who've made a living exploring, studying and maintaining the natural world, they follow familiar tropes: like an unexpected experience or sighting, or the influence of a parent or teacher who sparked that initial interest in the outdoors.
New Year's Day Hikes in New Hampshire State Parks
By Associated Press • Jan 1, 2019
N.H. State Parks
New Hampshire's Division of Parks and Recreation is hosting hikers for guided trips around the state on New Year's Day.
The free "First Day Hikes" take place Tuesday in Portsmouth, Hollis, Milan, Winchester and Allentown. In Hollis, the hike includes a loop around Silver Lake State Park and a campfire with snacks and warm drinks.
In Milan, participants will snowshoe or cross-country ski through Milan Hill State Park, with snacks and drinks at a newly-constructed warming hut.
Top Shows of 2018: Critical Hours: Search & Rescue in the White Mountains
Samantha Brady/AVSAR
With pleasant weather comes a busy hiking season in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. A misread map, a sudden storm, a forgotten headlamp - and suddenly a hike could turn into a matter of survival. We look at a new book, "Critical Hours," that offers a history and a celebration of the search and rescue workers and volunteers who save lives in the White Mountains. The growth of inexpensive but sophisticated navigation devices and mobile phones have become part of the experience for both hikers and rescuers. We examine the impact of ubiquitous technology and the future of search and rescue operations.
This rebroadcast will air Tuesday, January 1 at 9 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Hiker Killed By Falling Piece of Ice in Hart's Location
By Associated Press • Dec 24, 2018
Officials say falling ice struck and killed a Massachusetts woman who was hiking with her family in New Hampshire.
The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department says the 57-year-old Wellesley woman was injured around noon Sunday.
WFXT-TV reports the woman was hiking with a group of 10 people on the Frankenstein Cliff Trail in Hart's Location when a falling piece of ice struck her in the head.
Multiple agencies responded to the scene and the woman was taken to a hospital where she later died.
The woman's name has not been released.
Something Wild: The Dangers of Hiking the Whites
By Dave Anderson & Andrew Parrella • Oct 26, 2018
Dave shares a few tips about hiking safely and conscientiously.
I rolled into the parking lot of the Mountain Wanderer Book Store in Lincoln, New Hampshire. I was there to meet two White Mountain hiking experts. Authors Mike Dickerman of Bond Cliff Books and Steve Smith, editor of the Appalachian Mountain Club's White Mountain Hiking Guide. Steve also owns the Mountain Wanderer. From the bookstore, we drove to a nearby trail head for the Pemigewasset Wilderness Area in Lincoln.
You Are Now Entering Forest Time
By Todd Bookman • Sep 28, 2018
Todd Bookman/NHPR
After a long week of news, this seems like a good moment to turn off the television, to log off social media, and go out for a long walk in the woods.
In Peterborough, the local library has teamed up with the Harris Center to offer a guided approach to communing with nature. It's called Forest Bathing.
Dilapidated White Mountains Footbridge Will Be Removed
By Annie Ropeik • Sep 26, 2018
SectionHiker.com
A dilapidated bridge in a North Country wilderness area is officially slated for removal this fall. Officials in the White Mountain National Forest Service finalized their decision on the Thoreau Falls Bridge this week.
The old wooden bridge in the Pemigewasset Wilderness has been closed to hikers since last fall. It spans a rocky creek bed that sometimes floods.
District ranger Brooke Brown has now officially decided the bridge doesn't belong in federal wilderness, which is meant to be primeval and undisturbed.
I Brought a Microphone with Me on a First Date. I Have No Regrets.
By Ben Henry • Aug 17, 2018
Looking back on my past two years as a single person fitfully dating in New Hampshire, I don't actually remember most of the first dates I've been on. I remember the second and third dates, in which conversation flows normally and you both feel comfortable enough to really learn about each other.
But on first dates, I enter a kind of fugue state, propelled by self-awareness and nervous drinking. I know roughly what was said and how much I should be embarrassed by it, but not much more than that.
Hiker Rescues from Huntington Ravine Trail Surge This Summer
New Hampshire's Fish and Game Department says trail maintenance projects have caused hikers to seek alternate routes to the summit of Mount Washington, which may be resulting in more rescue calls.
The department says Huntington Ravine has been a consistent producer of rescue calls this summer, when many groups have been taking the Huntington Ravine Trail instead of the Tuckerman Ravine Trail to the summit.
Hypothermic Hikers Rescued from Tuckerman Ravine Trail
The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department says two sets of hikers had to be rescued from the White Mountains because they were unprepared for the terrain and cold, windy conditions.
A 77-year-old Florida man and 71-year-old woman from New York were found at 11:20 Friday night off the Tuckerman Ravine trail after requesting a rescue. Both had hypothermia.
Volunteers worked overnight carrying them to the Mount Washington Auto Road where they were driven down. The woman was taken by ambulance to the hospital.
Mass. Teens Rescued from Icy White Mountain Hike
Two teenagers from Massachusetts have been rescued from an icy New Hampshire trail considered too dangerous for descending any time of year.
Radio Field Trip: Night Hiking in Laconia
By Rick Ganley & Mary McIntyre • Mar 28, 2018
Tim Sackton / Flickr Creative Commons
In Morning Edition's series, Radio Field Trips, we're taking you to places in New Hampshire you may not have heard about.
For our latest story, Morning Edition Host Rick Ganley and producer Mary McIntyre visited Prescott Farm in Laconia for a moonlit night hike.
Do you have a suggestion for an upcoming Radio Field Trip? Click here to send us an email and let us know!
Listen to the story here.
Life Lessons From New Hampshire's All-Female Winter Wilderness Training
By Annie Ropeik • Feb 23, 2018
Annie Ropeik / NHPR
Women are one of the fastest-growing demographics for outdoor recreation in New Hampshire.
The state Department of Fish & Game has encouraged that for more than 20 years with its "Becoming an Outdoors-Woman" program, or BOW. It helps the department make money and cut down on preventable rescues.
NHPR's Annie Ropeik attended the winter BOW last weekend in Holderness, and found out it's also about women helping women learn to fend for themselves.
Bitter Cold Doesn't Faze First Day Hikers At N.H. State Parks
By Annie Ropeik • Jan 2, 2018
Dozens of bundled-up hikers tromped onto the snowy trails of five New Hampshire State Parks Monday, marking the frigid start of 2018 with the parks' eighth annual First Day Hikes.
The forecasted high at Wellington State Park in Bristol was only 3 degrees. Park workers handed out beanies, face buffs and hot cider as hikers headed into the woods.
Even the wind chill warning didn't stop Kathy Bishop and Martha Doelle – both teachers from Enfield – from strapping on snowshoes for a trek up into the park's higher elevations.
N.H. State Parks to Offer 'First Day Hikes'
By Jason Moon • Dec 29, 2017
Chris Jensen / NHPR
The New Hampshire Division of Parks and Recreation is hosting free, guided hikes on New Year's Day as part of a national event called First Day Hikes.
The department is offering five different hikes, from Silver Lake State Park in the southern tier, to Milan State Park in the North Country.
Each is free, family–friendly, and guided by either park staff or volunteers from conservation groups.