Latest Articles
Olympics Earn Gold Medals in Racism, Sexism
Both before and after the Summer Olympics’ opening ceremonies took place, we watched athletes – the best in their sport – drop out, get kicked out or be fined. We witnessed blatant racism and sexism. Is the church any different?
When Everyone in Your Church Needs You All at Once
When a pastor cares for just one family navigating a difficult time, it’s stressful enough. This pandemic-infused pastoral ministry meant caring for hundreds of families, all feeling the throes of the pandemic differently.
Gimme That Old-Time Religion? No Thanks, Say Many
After an uptick in 2020, public confidence in the church or organized religion slipped in 2021. The only institution that didn’t see a dip in Gallup’s annual survey was police, which also ranked third in terms of public confidence.
Folks on Earth Hunger as Mega-Rich Race to Space
While many don’t know where their next meal is coming from, should a couple of uber-rich guys spend millions of bucks to go into space for a rollercoaster ride for the wealthy? Do those of us in our cozy lifestyles give any better?
Gideon’s Jug? Hold Your Horses
Archaeologists in Israel recently published the discovery of an ancient inscription that may carry the name Jeruba‘al, a nickname the biblical account attributes to Gideon, one of Israel’s ‘judges.’ Should we get excited?
Blustering Opinionists Aren’t in Arena Doing Work
In the world today, you have opinionists – some armed with microphones – who point out how the people in the arena stumble or could have done better. Then you have folks in the arena, who fall but get up again to do the work.
Making Claims Doesn’t Make One Right or Righteous
Those who wave the biggest flags and display the largest crosses often confuse the two allegiances of patriotism and Christianity and rarely represent the best of what either means. They’re the ones we need to watch closely.
Why COVID-19 Vaccines Won’t Stick You to Fridge
Beware the COVID-19 vaccine. It can turn you into a human magnet, so says one anti-vaxxer activist. This outlandish claim, like so many other anti-vax arguments, have been around for over a century. They fall into three categories.
Why It’s Never Too Late for Healing
Maybe you forgot what you had done. Maybe you weren’t paying attention. But something or someone reminds you that you have sinned. The spiritual bruise of the act has never healed, even if it has faded. Can you still make amends?
Church Hurts: Bullies Must Be Called to Task
Church members pick fights, bully and destroy the faith and spiritual lives of others, all to maintain power, to dominate the narrative, to control sacred space. The church has bodywork to do. It’s time to hold them accountable.
This Prophet Didn’t Mince Words with Oppressors
At a casual reading, Nahum sounds shockingly harsh for those of us who believe in an all-loving God. But this is Nahum’s message: The empire in any time and place that inflicts untold suffering on others is not unaccountable.
Pandemic Pushes 320M More into Food Insecurity
The COVID-19 pandemic’s impact adds another layer of challenges to ending global hunger, bringing an estimated 320 million more people into a situation of food insecurity, a UN report said. And 161 million more experienced hunger.
Force-Feeding Immigrants: A Brutal Practice
The medical community has reached a growing consensus that force-feeding is morally wrong. Yet, the US government still regularly practices it as immigrants and asylum-seekers in detention facilities have gone on hunger strikes.
Top Fall 2020 Sermon Topics: Election, Pandemic, Racism
Most US churchgoers heard sermons in the fall of 2020 that mentioned the pandemic, the election or racism; sometimes, they heard two or all three of these topics, a report found. COVID-19 was the most likely topic to be mentioned.
Look Back | How We Blame Race for Our Behavior
When it comes to race, we speak as if we have no say, no will, no power at all. Race is not all that there is to say about humanity. Each of us needs to be more fully in Jesus Christ and less as race’s color-coded bodies.
All Aboard! Next Stop: New Opportunities
Many churches have been on the platform, watching the train of opportunity leave the station. Now, an emerging generation of Christians are getting on board to tackle racial inequality, climate change, income inequality and more.