10 May 2018 - Act III: Uncertainty and Spiritual Drift (1987-1999)

In my mind, the first two “Acts” in this narrative arc of Cockburn’s career represent two different forms of certainty or assurance—the first, an assurance of religion, and the second of politics. Such assurance comes not merely from a certainty of beliefs, but from a certainty of purpose, a certainty in the core meaning that drives a person, which is as much felt as thought. And that certainty eventually falters. In fact, sometimes it must, for that is one way we continue to grow, one way God continues to speak to us and through us. We always have more to learn, and yet it’s only when we no longer feel quite so assured by our answers to life’s persistent questions that we can learn new ones, or learn the old ones more deeply. And I think that’s what makes this third “Act” in Cockburn’s career so important, even revelatory, if also at times discomforting and uneven.

Continue Reading Part 3 at Mockingbird