Opinion
“As It Is in Heaven?”
I came to the Christian faith by way of the Holiness Pentecostal tradition. Holiness or hell, some would say it was an easy decision. But these days, the North American church makes me look sideways at my religious experience.
2023 Advent Reflection: Peace
I grieve the conflict in the world that renders the lives, homes and cultures of some less valuable than mine. I grieve the death of beloved institutions that needed to die. I grieve the consequences of my own behaviors producing the planet my children will inherit.
Hope and Loss: The Social Justice Gap Left by the Church
These students balance hurt and hope beautifully. They recognize how they have been oppressed and harmed by the church and systems in our world but have a deep sense of hope that things will get better.
Brittney Griner, Baylor and Running Out of Time
The hermeneutical gymnastics required to include powerful, wealthy men under the umbrella of “Biblical Christianity” are far more complex than those needed to include LGBTQ+ individuals under the same umbrella.
Taylor Swift: The Soundtrack to My Life
Swift is a generation-defining artist who has impacted the music industry and the world for the better.
An Open Letter to Those Who Grieve
In the fullest expression of the incarnation, Jesus came to live among us. In that life, even he understood what it meant to stand before the grave and contemplate his grief. But Jesus also understood that death was not the final word.
Missed Warnings at Pearl Harbor: Lessons for the Church and Country
The way of justice, peace and love are in danger if these signs go unwarranted. If the church loses her witness for love and justice and the country loses democracy, the attack will not be a surprise.
Gaza and the Pitfalls of Binary Thinking
In this fairy tale, there is no room for the Palestinian Jew living along the Gaza Strip or the Israeli Muslim praying for the violence to cease. Everyone gets shoved into an ill-fitting box or erased to maintain a simple plotline.
Below the Surface: A Conversation with Jaimee Harris
“It’s hard for me to separate Christianity in particular from any piece of my life because, when I was younger, I was so ‘in,’” Harris reflected. She added, “The church gave me my first opportunity to be involved in music. It gave me a social group. It gave me a place to be accepted.”
Film Review: Napolean
Maybe you will find more here than I did. But I can say that the only thing about this movie that I enjoyed was that my wife liked it.
Handing Over the Hammer
Since taking on a $ 1.60-an-hour dishwashing job as a teen, I’ve been continuously employed in some capacity. While I can’t imagine doing nothing, facing a stage of life without the current deadlines, meetings and other commitments is inviting.
Concerning the Jesus Gene
When people work to put in place public policy which helps create a more equitable and welcoming society for all persons, I don’t call that “wokism.” I call it baptism.
No Enemy Lines
While we draw hard lines to mark who we are for and against, Jesus didn’t cross anyone off his list. The story of Saul and Stephen is a fitting example of this.
The Cooking of the Greens
There would be multiple green things involved, after all, but we finally agreed on “Hanging of the Green,” even though some thought it sounded a bit uppity.
2023 Advent Reflection: Hope
But what if hope is never lost? What if it is an anchor with a line that feels tight and taut, right next to our hearts, and also a line that sometimes goes slack, with God holding fast through it all?
“Your ‘Kin-dom’ Come”: An Advent Podcast Series Reminds Listeners That We Are Family
“Your ‘Kin-dom’ Come” moves listeners from a Sunday morning prayer to a practice of relating that says we are ready—not just for Jesus but for each other. Gathered around the story of Jesus’ birth, the Advent series from The Raceless Gospel podcast invites listeners to remember our relatedness and reconnect as family.