Author: Shalem John
Gene Espy wasn’t trying to set a record. He went into the woods in May 1951 to connect with God. Then he walked for 123 days. One foot in front of the other, the 24-year-old Baptist from Georgia kept going for more than 2,000 miles, north through 14 states, wearing out three pairs of boots and growing a beard so long it scared people. He emerged on a mountaintop in Maine at the end of September, the second person ever to hike the complete length of the Appalachian Trail (AT). “It was a beautiful day … and the scenery was…
When I walk into an Appalachian casino on a Friday evening, every sense in my body dilates with the onslaught of stimulation. Outside the casino, it was cool, with dusk descending over a quiet parking lot of pickups and sedans and one limousine. Venus was just visible in the sky. Inside, up an escalator into a vast hall, everything is consumed by a sound like a screaming eagle or a missile streaking to earth, and Olivia Rodrigo’s voice sings from above me, “Well, good for you, you look happy and healthy, / Not me, if you ever cared to ask.”…
Papua New Guinea is officially a Christian country. The preamble to its constitution has been amended to “acknowledge and declare God, the Father; Jesus Christ, the Son; and Holy Spirit, as our Creator and Sustainer of the entire universe and the source of our powers and authorities, delegated to the people and all persons within the geographical jurisdiction of Papua New Guinea.” Prime Minister James Marape, a Seventh-day Adventist, said Christianity is an essential anchor for the country’s national identity. Some Christian leaders there have expressed hope that the change will help bring national harmony and advance efforts to end…