David Mills is a Senior Editor of The Stream. After teaching writing in a seminary, he has been editor of Touchstone and the executive editor of First Things. He has edited a book on C. S. Lewis called The Pilgrim’s Guide: C. S. Lewis and the Art of Witness and written two books of popular theology, Knowing the Real Jesus and Discovering Mary. David writes columns for Our Sunday Visitor and The Catholic Herald, and writes the “Last Things” column for The New Oxford Review. He serves on the boards of Ethika Politika and The Chesterton Review. He and his wife have four children. They live outside Pittsburgh.
It’s a strange practice, this putting ashes on people’s foreheads once a year, on the appropriately named Ash Wednesday. Catholics do it, and many Episcopalians and Lutherans, increasing numbers of other Protestant churches, and even a few Baptists. The ashes are made…
