Opinion
Belief Behind the Book | Michelle Wahila’s “Ruffled by Grace”
Rev. Michelle Wahila’s Ruffled by Grace reimagines faith beyond church walls—blending love, liturgy, and rebellious blessings for a fierce spirituality.
Grief as Spiritual Formation | Even Mended Hearts Have Scars
Peggy Haymes concludes her series on grief by reminding readers that loss transforms us.
God in Glitter and Bagpipes: A Message to Pride Parade Protesters
At Akron Pride, blessings in glitter, protestors with bullhorns, and bagpipes drowning out hate reveal a God of love louder than exclusion.
Technology and the Good Samaritan: Loving Our Online Neighbors
Members of the Compelling Preaching Initiative reflect on how churches engaging with technology can be a way of loving their neighbors.
By the Way | Blaine and Johnson Amendments: Reinforcing the Wall of Separation
Despite the questionable motives behind both the Blaine amendments and the Johnson Amendment, they helped to fortify the wall of separation between church and state.
I Dare You: Small Churches and the Fearless Wayne Shorter
What Wayne Shorter’s fearless jazz can teach the church about risk, imagination, and resisting the temptation of smallness.
The Way to Ourselves
Sometimes, we get in our own way before we even know where we are going. Two left feet, we step on our toes. Defeated before we even meet our foes, we drag our feet instead of showing up fully in the world.
Pew Study Gauges U.S. Opinions on Journalists
A new Pew Research Center survey gauged U.S. views on what qualifies as journalism, and what people want in a journalist.
The Sacred Act of Remembering
By ignoring—or even trying to redeem—the darkest parts of our history, like slavery, plantation life, Jim Crow and lynching, and by downplaying their lasting impact today, these efforts create the false impression that equality has already been achieved and everyone begins on equal footing.
Judicial Decency Dies: Remembering The Honorable Frank Caprio
New England Judge Frank Caprio died this week. Mitch Randall reflects on what we can learn from Caprio’s judicial decency.
Beyond Grace and Faith: Trump’s Real Eternity Problem
Trump’s eternity problem has nothing to do with misunderstanding atonement.
Send In the Clowns: Using Farce to Confront Force
It is up to us who follow the ways of Jesus and the commands of Isaiah to unmask what this “clown” is doing.
The New Fundamentalist Takeover: Baylor’s Move from Faithfulness to Fear
Michael Chancellor reflects on the history of the fundamentalist takeover of the Southern Baptist Convention and how it continues to play out.
Grief as Spiritual Formation | Grieving the Loss of a Pet
If we are heart-connected with someone or something, we will grieve their loss. No one else gets to determine the depth and meaning of that connection for us.
Belief Behind the Book | Charisse Gillett’s This Little Girl
Gillett brings us a slice of her narrative through memories that affirm she comes from a loving, close-knit, resilient family and community that was an incubator for her “Black Girl Dreams.”
Killing Truth in Gaza
Meanwhile, silence reigns in America. Silence from journalists unwilling to challenge Israel. Silence from politicians who send $509 million worth of bombs while slashing human needs. Silence from evangelicals who cheer the destruction as holy writ.
Lighten Up, Liberals: Play as Resistance
Levity isn’t betrayal—it’s resistance. What Marc Maron, Soviet-era toys, and pop culture teach us about joy in dark times.
Gallup Finds Massive Drop in Alcohol Consumption, Largely Driven by Republicans
A recent study found a smaller percentage of people in the United States consume alcohol than at any time since Gallup began collecting data on drinking in 1939.
Preaching Together Might Heal Us
Our conversational sermons bring the congregation into the preaching moment because we are all proclaiming the truth we know and the gospel we embody.
Preaching is Resurrection Practice
Preaching is resurrection practice. It’s an odd rehearsal. The preacher’s robe is from the grave clothes section of liturgical garments.
Putin, Trump, and the Wizard’s Spell
I heard South African apartheid leaders say in the late ’80s: “Reconciliation will happen when those on the bottom reconcile themselves to the fact that we are on the top.”
The False Gospel of Christian Nationalism
True Christianity cannot be reduced to a set of political goals; it is a call to radical love, mercy, and justice, as exemplified in the life and teachings of Jesus.
Hungering and Thirsting For Righteousness: Alexei Navalny’s Christian Witness
Alexei Navalny’s memoir highlights all the publicly documented aspects of his life, including one little known one: His faith.
From Tulsa to Texas: Something Familiar is in the Wind
Therein lies the manipulation and dishonesty of white supremacy: the claim that efforts to maintain power and control are beneficial for racialized communities.
Losing and Finding God on the Wild Edges of Belief
I came home because I believed that if other marginalized communities could find liberation in the gospel of Christ, I could too.
The God Who Spoke in Stickers
Before we learned what life looked like, before we were blinded by cynicism, before we found out all the ways our hearts could be broken, God was still speaking.
This is Not a “War”: Israel and Hamas by the Numbers
What is occurring in Gaza cannot be defined as a “war.”
Grief as Spiritual Formation | Allowing Burden Bearing
Grief makes us needy, which is a tough call for people like me who have navigated life being just fine, not asking for help, and politely refusing it when offered.
What’s Lost, What’s Left, What’s Possible
Stay present, aware and open to the many paths of healing a mourner might require, not the least of which are time and company.
Ukrainians Losing Hope for Victory
A recent Gallup study has found Ukrainians are losing faith in the possibility of a victory against Russia.