In the final sermon before his assassination in 1980, Archbishop of El Salvador Oscar Romero told the soldiers in a public broadcast to refuse the orders of the violent, militaristic regime in the country. “I want to make a special…
Letter to the Editor: When Muslims sound more like Jesus than the Christians
I live in Alabama where, apparently, a number of aspirants to political office are operating on the sad assumption that a majority of Alabama voters will reward them for being xenophobic, in general, and Islamophobic, in particular. Last week, in…
Letter to the Editor: End the war in Iran, now
Many Americans and Christians continue to rightfully express concern at the ongoing conflict against Iran, with one poll recently suggesting 60% of the country opposes the usage of military force. While the operation appears to have achieved its military objectives, the civilian carnage has been tragic: One Middle…
Differing perspectives and our dreams of peace
Yaakov Rotblit once wrote a lyric that has taken on a life far beyond its origins as a love song: “You took my hand in yours and said to me, ‘Let’s go down to the garden. … Things we see…
Keeping Easter alive means embracing the Truth
For some reason, we insist on complicating Jesus. The grave could not contain him. Yet we have the audacity to be believe our theology can. Our complicated theological pursuits have led to self-righteous, self-serving endeavors aimed at being “right” and…
Why Easter must reclaim its throne in American faith
There is a quiet contradiction in America, one that lives in our homes, our churches, our calendars and our consumer habits. It is the reality that the most theologically powerful moment in Christianity — the resurrection of Jesus Christ —…
A new generation of ambassadors for the cure to violence
We are living in violent and deeply troubling times. In New York City, a teenager raised in Philadelphia participated in an attempted terrorist attack on Gracie Mansion. According to security experts, the attack is part of a rising tide of…
Faith, captivity and the call to remember the imprisoned
Each spring, the sacred calendars of Judaism, Christianity and Islam draw us into stories of liberation, sacrifice and divine mercy. Passover, Easter and the rhythms of revelation in the Quran all echo a central truth: God is present with the…
When pastors mistake theological maturity for spiritual maturity
A pastor colleague recently told me something I can’t seem to shake: “If I’m not on staff, pastoring or preaching, I don’t go to church on Sundays. I’m just not a pew person.” At first, it sounded like honesty. The…
8,000 miles to escape death, only to meet it 5 miles from home
Days after being released from a year of detention, Nurul Amin Shah Alam, a blind Rohingya refugee who had been released from Border Patrol custody and abandoned at a Tim Horton’s 5 miles away from his home in Buffalo, New York, was found dead. He had been in custody…
Why a theology focused only on the future is bad for the present
One of the key differences I’ve noticed between the United Methodist Church and the religion in which I was raised is the focus on now versus later — “later” being heaven, the afterlife, eternity. The theology of the UMC (or…
The Black Church teaches us not to rush past Good Friday
On Good Friday, many of the white churches move quickly. They acknowledge the Cross, they sometimes name the injustice, and — almost instinctively — begin inching toward Easter, toward hope, toward resurrection, toward resolution. They quickly leave Friday and rush…