In 586 BCE, the armies of Babylon breached the walls of Jerusalem and slaughtered thousands of people. Thousands more were dragged off to exile in far-off Babylon. Solomon’s glorious temple was ground to powder. King Zedekiah fled for his life…
And a biblically illiterate Congressman shall lead them
America’s impasse over the dismal state of affairs in Gaza and Israel might have something to do with biblical illiteracy — even in Congress. Two weeks ago, on April 17, the House Education Committee held a hearing on Columbia University’s response to alleged…
Does it matter, and when should it?
Does it matter if the electrician who comes to work at my house has a bumper sticker on the back of his truck that I find offensive? Does it matter if my hairstylist shares my political views? Does it matter…
When you’re so conservative you appear to be liberal
Full access to health care for all people, so that financial incomes no longer determine health care outcomes. A path to citizenship for immigrants seeking safety and welcome. Racial justice. Dignity and equality for all without regard for sexuality or…
The Holocaust Musaffecteum: Humbling irritations amidst genuine horror past and present
My family and I had been standing in line for nearly half an hour at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. Despite all that time and with prior experience at another high-security location, I still wasn’t ready…
What can we learn from children about being liberated from Kendomland?
April 2024 has been the month when the Kens of the Mojo Dojo Casa Churches came out in full force to flex their patriarchy power in preach-offs. It started with Josh Howerton telling women to crown dishonorable men as their kings and…
The problem with men’s conferences
The problem with Christian men’s conferences may not be the men or the speakers, it may be the very idea of a “men’s” conference. Such events have become popular in modern American churches, particularly among evangelicals. And sometimes they create…
Love, hate and Harry Potter
May 2 is International Harry Potter Day, the anniversary of the climactic Battle of Hogwarts in the final Potter book, when love overcomes hate and death. It’s a very Easter kind of occasion, and intentionally so, according to author J….
To save democracy, one place to start is in church
American democracy is under serious threat as we approach the 2024 election. Former President Donald Trump and the MAGA movement have normalized political violence in the wake of the January 6 riot, invoked poisonous and dehumanizing speech about opponents as…
My hybrid church
Let me tell you about my church. My church meets every Friday from noon until around 6:30 p.m. My church has no pews but plenty of folding tables and chairs as well as boxes and bins filled with groceries. My…
Graduation advice for seminarians and seminaries
I approached the end of my time at divinity school with relief and joy. It had been the best and worst three years of my life. I took apart everything I thought about God, myself and others and emerged with…
A new vision of Mary Magdalene and Jesus by Kelly Latimore
I awoke Easter Sunday morning to the following quote on X from Jacqui Lewis: “The first resurrection was proclaimed by women, and the church repaid them with centuries of lies that God didn’t want us to preach. For Jesus’ movement…