I am thrice vaccinated now, and each time I receive a shot of the Pfizer vaccine, I feel like I am participating in something both humbling and sacred. I am a Christian who believes very deeply in what the Catholic…
Why a photo taken at Walmart terrified me
Today a friend posted a photo of a church that went to worship in an open Walmart since church buildings were closed in their town due to the pandemic. In the photo, worshipers were seen standing rather close together and…
Dear Church, don’t give up on justice yet
Justice is a tool for working out God’s care and showing that God is “with us” as a way of entering into the real, physical circumstances of those who hurt, not just a concept abused by the culture wars.
Reimagining churches as full-time partners with those in poverty
By Laura Rector I was temporarily homeless this summer after I lost my below market-rate housing in California to a planned development. This transition meant spending about 40 days without a true residence and sleeping in hotels or friends and…
Can prayer be abusive?
By Laura Rector A conservative Christian man “prayerfully” spanks his spouse as Christian “discipline.” A Christian institution “prays” for those who lose their jobs in a restructuring. A Christian employer uses prayer to promote going along with an agenda, rather…
Christians must cry for justice when lives are taken unjustly
José Antonio Elena Rodríguez was only 16 when he was killed, walking home from a basketball game in October 2012. According to what news reports have pieced together, the unarmed child was shot 10 times, 8 in the back, by…
Condolences should not come with a ‘but’ attached
A dear friend died who worked tirelessly for social justice during his life. Being a passionate person who relentlessly pursued what he thought was right, he caused more than 1 controversy in his life. He also helped people all around…
We need covenant parenting in covenant communities
Often, as we discuss sexuality and marriage, the word covenant comes up—specifically whether marriage should be a covenant between a man and a woman or whether LGBT friends have the right to enter into such a covenant. When we limit…
Mom CBF, Dad SBC, I love you. Stop fighting.
Divorce hurts children. My grandparents’ divorce still hurts their children and their grandchildren to this day — even though both have been dead for years. Certainly, the pain has lessened in time, but the wound is still there, for many…