I’m so tired of some of the church putting down gay people. When will they see the log in their eye? Come on, you know God loves all of his kids. Sometimes it makes me feel ashamed of calling myself…
REVIEW: ‘Captain Phillips’ offers a cautionary tale to an America facing a growing gap between rich
Captain Phillips is an action movie with an important underlying social message. It is one of those movies that is filled with all manner of exciting scenes that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Yet when you…
How can Christians really help the poor? Develop a strategy, say advocates
Though Christians seem to disagree about how best to help the poor, experts agree that developing a strategy based on the needs of a particular community will help churches minister to the needy around them. Giving money to a person…
OPINION: Partners in faith: A theology for merger
You’ve read on this website that the Religious Herald and Associated Baptist Press are merging on Jan. 1, 2014. The decision of the two respective boards is more an act of faith than a business arrangement, in my view. We…
Austin Angel House feeds homeless and hungry for nearly three decades
For 27 years, Austin Baptist Chapel — known to most of the people it serves as “Angel House” — has served hot lunches to the homeless and hungry in Texas’s capital city. “Our homeless guests several years into the ministry…
LEADERSHIP LINK: Dealing with criticism and critical people
Eventually, every pastor or staff member will do something about which a church member becomes angry or disappointed. I still remember the time a few weeks into my first pastorate when I learned this painful lesson. One of our deacons…
Intentional Christian communities live and serve among the poor
In one of northern Philadelphia’s most-dangerous neighborhoods, a 20-person Christian group thrives, embracing a lifestyle of radical community. Shane Claiborne, leader of the 10 households in the Kensington neighborhood, helped found The Simple Way in 1995 as a faith community…
OPINION: The hand we’re dealt
I spend a lot of time thinking, writing and teaching on the current religious climate in America and how churches and individual Christians can thrive despite the seemingly downward spiral of decline. While practicing Christianity in the 21st century, especially…
Veteran urban minister suggests Oath for Compassionate Service
Christians motivated by compassion for the poor need to make sure both mercy and justice guide their actions, said Robert Lupton, based on his four decades of experience in urban ministry. Robert Lupton has proposed what he calls an…