Recent Articles
The Heart of Bethlehem is the Heart of the World
No disrespect to the mystics, dreamers and poets among us, but there is a reason why most Christmas pageants don’t use the first chapter of John to tell the story of the incarnation.
“In His Name”
“O Holy Night” is one of my favorite advent hymns. This year, the line calling us to recognize that in Jesus’ name, all oppression shall cease resonated most deeply.
Annual U.S. Count of People Experiencing Homelessness Sees Sharp Increase
The PIT count has been conducted since 2007. HUD relies on municipal and county governments and area service providers to assist in the count.
December 21, 2023
The Evolution of Christmas in Rhode Island; 10 Old-School Christian Traditions that are No Longer Practiced; Religion’s Understated Influence on Modern Art (and more)
The Doctrine of Christian Discovery: Johnson v. M’Intosh at 200
People who already exist cannot be discovered. And even if they have not been seen by white eyes before, the Great Spirit has seen them.
New Gallup Poll Finds Americans Are in Bad Shape After the Pandemic
Key metrics for physical health are worse after the pandemic, according to a Gallup poll released on December 14.
Apologies and Condemnations Will Not Solve Poland’s Antisemitism Problem
Both acts of vandalism involving the menorah from last week are a reminder that although populist parties were defeated in the October elections, the problem of antisemitism in Polish politics continues.
December 20, 2023
In a Church Built by Abolitionists, Christian and Jewish Congregations Come Together Amid Bomb Threats; United Methodists Down 7.659 Churches as Exit Window Ends; ‘Pure White’ Examines the White Supremacist Origins of Evangelical Purity Culture (and more)
By the Way | Undermining America’s Two Best Ideas
I’ve long argued that the First Amendment, with its guarantee of religious freedom and separation of church and state, is America’s best idea. If the First Amendment is America’s best idea, the second best is public education.
Remembering Carlton Pearson
On that transformative night in the early 1990s, Carlton’s words resonated with an intellectual vibrancy seldom heard from the pulpits I knew. He wielded wit, language and a keen awareness of current events to demonstrate the Bible’s relevance beyond its ancient text.
The Genealogy of Jesus: Where are the Women?
In our churches, we remember the importance of women, affirming their agency and sense of self. We create a community where a little girl never has to grow up questioning her worth or silencing her voice.
December 19, 2023
Preaching to Polarized Congregations. A Responsibility and a Challenge, Clergy Say.; A Faith Healer in Skinny Jeans is Bringing Catholics Back to Mass; Fears Mount for Gaza’s Tiny Christian Community after Mother and Daughter Shot Dead (and more)
Saving All God’s Children
Churches are preparing for multiple Christmas services and activities for children. Not guarded by farm animals and without the star of Bethlehem to point them out, can we ensure their safety and well-being in the world? Before you respond, answer this.
2023 Advent Reflection | The Liminality of Joy
We hear promises of peace, but we haven’t yet seen it. Mary prophecies that God will “bring down the powerful from their thrones and lift up the lowly,” but it hasn’t happened yet. And so we wait, feeling this tension in the depths of our bones.
Advancing the Cause of Healthy Recovery
I have stood at more hospital beds and funerals as a person in recovery than I ever did as the pastor of an aging church.
December 18, 2023
American Christians Follow Israel-Hamas War, Favor a Two-State Solution: Survey; ‘A Mega-Mechanism for Bonding’: Why Singing Together Does Us Good; Samford LGBTQ+ Students Say They Aren’t Protected from Discrimination (and more)
Baby Jesus, Hands Out
It’s a battle I still wage within myself, being brave enough to approach Jesus as he asks us to do, to come as a child.
Emerging Voices | From Mormon to Baptist: What I Carry With Me
I was raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, colloquially known as the “Mormon” church. My faith journey has led me to a Baptist belief, and I no longer identify as Mormon. However, some aspects of my experience I have carried with me inform my...
Movie Review | The Boy and the Heron
Notably, the Japanese title of this movie is not “The Boy and the Heron,” but rather, “How Do You Live?” There is more than one way to answer that question.
December 15, 2023
Study Finds Complex Relationship Between Religion and Health Among Sexual Minorities; Live Camels, Flying Angels: Plano Megachurch Criticized Again for Lavish Christmas Show; Muslim Man Accused of Assaulting Son in Nashville Home for Converting to Christianity (and more)
Why Must Mary Remain a Virgin?
Mary’s perpetual virginity has more to do with the influence of Stoic philosophy early in the development of Christianity than anything biblical.
The More Christmas Services the Merrier
By and large, pastors are planning four events or activities to celebrate the Christmas season, according to a Lifeway Research study released on December 5.
Emerging Voices| Don’t Take the Lord’s Name in Vain
The Religious Right, with its purported divine mandate, attempts to justify these distressing circumstances in the name of God.
December 14, 2023
Clarksville Church, Volunteers, Soldiers Support Community After Tornado Devastation; A Fraught Question for the Moment: Is Anti-Zionism Always Antisemitic?; These Texas Parents are Pushing Back Against School Library Book Bans. ‘We Can Fight This.’; (and more)
The Truth About Santa
Even with his speed and ability to manipulate time, it would be too much for him to interact with every child who stayed up late enough to see him. His social calendar is jam-packed from Thanksgiving to Festivus at malls and parades. Christmas is for work.
Exorcizing Shame
But what if we already have what we need? That is, after all, the moral of the story when Jesus feeds the masses with five loaves and two fish.
A New Book on Grief From Nurturing Faith Books
A new book from Nurturing Faith Books offers hope to those who grieve.
December 13, 2023
Esau McCaully: The Theological Truth We Must Press During the War; How a True Believer’s Flawed Research Helped Legitimize Home Schooling; Did Byzantine Christian Icons Conceal Pagan Gods? (and more)
My Last Column, For Now
Through the years, my writings have addressed many issues, trends and concerns — not as an authoritative and definitive word but as a way to encourage thoughtful consideration of these matters.
More Americans Say Hamas is Responsible for Current Conflict
More Americans (65%) say Hamas is responsible for the war than the Israeli government (35%), according to a Pew Research Center report released December 8.