Here’s the problem with saying we must never talk about politics at church: We immediately cede to politicians the right to define what is political and what is theological. And then the church loses its voice on theology because important…
Three ways family ties hinder us in our faith
The “faith of our fathers” offers a nice American ideal, but it also has become one of the key reasons adults fail to respond to the work of the Holy Spirit in their own lives. Those are likely startling words…
Empowering youth to speak when racism, discrimination loom
One of the lessons I learned this week is that most of our youth are way ahead of us adults on this stuff. They are aware of what’s going on, they are passionate about it, but they often haven’t felt empowered to speak.
Separating the weapons of truth from truthiness
There’s truth, and then there’s truthiness. At least that’s what we learned from Stephen Colbert in the days of yore when he came to us on TV via “The Colbert Report.” “Truthiness” is that kind of information that sounds like…
Painful lessons from a pastor’s viral transgender post
“Does God still love me?” That is one of the most painful questions I have been asked in the past two weeks after writing a commentary that went viral and made me a most unlikely spokesperson for the transgender community…
Seven things I’m learning about transgender persons
I don’t know much about transgender issues, but I’m trying to learn. How about you? How much do you really know about this subject beyond all the screaming headlines and concerns about who goes to the bathroom where? The truth…
What Prince did before he died — and 5 reasons it matters
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing from the radio. It was so shocking that I wanted to pull the car to the side of the road to take it all in. This was not the news that Prince, the…
Are you a first responder?
“Do you consider yourself a first responder?” The question seemed odd at first, but it was sincere. The person who asked had not mistaken me for a firefighter or a police officer or a paramedic. Something different was meant. Not…
Face up to these five realities of church life today
Could we just get a few things straight about the state of the church in America today? There are some myths and misunderstandings floating around that seem plausible but upon further scrutiny just don’t hold up. Let’s name some of…