Let us rejoice with Mary that God keeps promises and will ultimately conquer all that tramples the weak and outcast. The Mighty One did great things for her – and will for us.
The Good News of Christmas calls the Church to embrace the ‘F’ word
As a Baptist pastor I can no longer avoid the “F” word; if anything, I must lean into it, embracing it for the sake of the Gospel.
Nikki Haley, Confederate memory and the insidious myth of racial ‘reconciliationism’
The most dangerous aspect of reconciliationism is that it assumes an immunity to modern iterations of racism. There is no such immunity. There is only a fight – a never-ending battle against the virus around us and within us.
Embracing the Simeons and Annas who keep the faith when we cannot
The Simeons and Annas keep the faith when we cannot. Their praises become our praises. Their disappointments reflect ours. Their hopes become our hopes. Their constant murmured prayers help sustain us.
Churches need more of Mr. Rogers’s theology of neighborliness
Mr. Rogers’s lessons on neighborliness articulate a theology for Christians living in a culture seemingly devoid of neighborliness and for churches struggling to survive in a world of declining religious participation.
The gospel and the limits of consumerism
The Gospel of Luke has important words for the down-and-out; but it also has just as much to say to the up-and-out. The message is clear: God’s love liberates us from the tyranny of more.
Don’t succumb to criticism of ‘Happy Holidays’; it can be an expression of God’s inclusive embrace
The negative reaction to “Happy Holidays” is mostly about changing demographics, the politicization of Christianity, and Christian fragility. This greeting can be an expression of kindness, warmth, acceptance and love that transcends narrow sectarianism and reflects God’s inclusive embrace.
What our Wilshire congregation learned: Have ‘the conversation’ anyway
Congregations that open themselves to full participation by those in the LGBTQ community are likely to begin hearing the other side of the story they have missed for so long, and that story includes a lot of hidden pain.
What if white Christians had a more realistic image of Jesus, a dark-skinned, religious-minority refugee?
Our dominant, white Christian culture has white-washed Jesus. Instead of expanding our understanding of those who are different from us, we have replaced them and their stories with a light brown-haired, blue-eyed lie.