Opinion
Will People of Faith Respond to Climate Tipping Point?
A new UN report this week revealed we are at a tipping point on climate change, requiring immediate and substantive actions to avoid warming beyond the 1.5°C threshold. Will people of good faith respond?
Stepping Towards 51, Looking Back Over 50
Turning 51 offers an opportunity to look back and to step forward. With gratitude for the relationships and experiences over five decades, I can’t wait to see what the future holds.
Is Texas Lawmakers’ Absence Conscientious Objection?
The political maneuvering in Texas related to voting law changes sought by the GOP has resulted in questions about what it means to be faithful to one’s oath and one’s convictions.
How to Be Part of the Solution as the Pandemic Continues
From doctors and nurses to public health department officials, the heavy burden on health care workers is causing physical and emotional burnout. Here are three ways you can be part of the solution rather than contributing to the problem.
Moving Targets
The hummingbird’s fast-moving wings pose a challenge to photographers wishing to capture a clear image. Similarly, public health officials must regularly change their guidance to “hit” the moving target that is the COVID-19 virus.
Church-School Partnerships Must Be Bigger than Backpacks
Churches who want to support their community schools must focus on more than the typical backpack ministries. Here are three guideposts to help your congregation effectively engage and support local schools.
Freedom Untethered from the Common Good Is ‘Juvenility’
Many adults are not practicing the values we teach our children, championing a notion of freedom untethered from the common good. True freedom is not merely freedom from, but freedom for.
Vaxxed or Vexed? It’s Both for Me
The “vaxxed” are rightly vexed at the continued rejection of science by the unvaccinated. Guided by unreliable sources, the vaccine resistant have allowed COVID-19 to come roaring back.
Freedom Without Responsibility is Moral Adolescence
Freedom is ubiquitous in U.S. public discourse these days, but many hold a flawed understanding of the term. The exercise of freedom without a sense of responsibility for the common good is moral adolescence.
Woe to Churches Shaming Women and Protecting Abusers
Too often churches have protected wolves in suits and ties, in clergy robes and collars, diminishing and discounting the horrific experiences of women and children. Woe to those who care more about the appearance of godliness than its application.
Malala Yousafzai Continues to Model Courage, Entrepreneurial Spirit
Now 24, Malala Yousafzai continues to demonstrate how to carry out disruptive innovations that empower people to create compassionate change. The world is a better place because of her.
Liberation Requires Direct, Communal Action
The efforts of Rep. Cori Bush (D-Missouri) and others resulted in an extension to the pandemic eviction moratorium. Her actions are a testimony to the power of communal work.
Protecting Children from COVID Is Worth Potential Family Strife
As Delta variant cases surge among the unvaccinated in the U.S., parents will have to make hard decisions to protect their children that could cause strife with extended family. Here are five suggestions to help you navigate the months ahead.
Christians, Please Stop Killing Yourselves and Others
White evangelical Christians are declining the COVID-19 vaccine based primarily upon political rhetoric and misinformation. Please, stop killing yourselves and others. Getting the vaccine does not devalue your faith.
Sacrificing Children in Bible-Quoting and -Toting America
Vaccine resistance and rejection of mask wearing remains high in the Bible-quoting and Bible-toting portions of the U.S. Sadly, many Christians seem willing to sacrifice our nation’s children to the fire of COVID-19 variants.
Vaccine-Resistant Christians Are Testing God
Speeding past “Dead End Ahead” signs on a “road to nowhere” is an apt description of the vaccine-resistant. Those who are Christians among this group are testing God.
Waste Not … Your Influence
“Waste not, want not” is sage advice for many areas of life, including our personal influence. Let’s find creative ways to encourage the vaccine-resistant to get their shots to help save lives.
The Strangest Pastoral Advice I’ve Ever Given
Many LGBTQIA+ persons have endured negative, harmful words from churchgoers. Everyone benefits when we lay aside a violent, white, male god in order to embrace lives that are more Christ-like.
Fox Is Not a Friend
A pleasant hotel breakfast was derailed by a “Fox and Friends” segment heavy on outrage and light on facts. An alternative reality has been produced by this media outlet, which puts money and influence before truth and the common good.
Why We Returned to Virtual Worship Gatherings
Congregations have faced many challenges throughout the pandemic. One church shifted to virtual, then in-person, then virtual again, learning important lessons about community in the process.
Why Do I Stay in the Church?
Critics of the church are sometimes excessive and unbalanced, but, for the most part, the church is guilty as charged with a long list of sins. How can you stay in a church that did these things?
In Church and Politics, Words Can Hide Insidious Aims
From church business meetings to political forums, if you look closely, you’ll see the true, often insidious, motives behind flowery words. It is all about power, control and self-interest.
4 Reasons You’re Paying Too Much for Health Care
The epidemic of over-treatment has caused soaring health care costs and placed excess strain on the system. Many clinics and hospitals have become dependent on the additional revenue from excessive tests. What can we do? Two things.
Prez Words Push Closer to Vax Mandate
The push for vaccine mandates against COVID-19 picked up steam with President Biden’s announcement that federal workers and contractors will have to prove they’ve been vaccinated. Some states and the VA have already made the decision.
Olympics Superstar Champions Mental Health
Olympics superstar Simone Biles has her priorities right. The renowned gymnast withdrew from further competition in the Olympics to preserve her mental health. We ought to focus on the mental health of our athletes, not on medals.
Bracing to Face COVID-19 Wilderness – Again
After what seemed like a delightfully ‘normal-ish’ summer of vacations and visits with family, the season ahead once again feels uncertain. Rising case rates of COVID-19 have us bracing ourselves for the wilderness – again.
White Christian Nationalism Fuels Insurrection
The firsthand testimony of four police officers left little doubt that what happened at the Capitol on Jan. 6 was nothing short of a failed insurrection. And the fuel that ignited that insurrection? White Christian nationalism.
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 Police Protect, Serve Some Over Others
Critiquing law enforcement does not equal hate or disdain for them. It is a desire to see them more consistently follow their oath to ‘protect and serve’ everyone. Sadly, police favor whites with more respect than other citizens.
Building Community – One Berry at a Time
A friend grows blueberries – lots of them. My friend won’t accept any payment for the best berries in town, but there is a condition: If you pick some for yourself, you have to give some away. It’s his ‘blueberry ministry.’