Jessica Wong is the author of Disordered: The Holy Icon and Racial Myths, an ordained elder in the Presbyterian Church (USA), and teaches systematic theology at Azusa Pacific University. I was drawn to her work because like me she is…
Of Henry Blackaby and John the Baptist
Mixed emotions nearly kept me from writing this tribute to Henry Blackaby, who died Feb. 10 at age 88. I hadn’t talked to Henry in years, but long ago, when he was at the height of his influence in the…
My strategy to survive a toxic political year
In 1959, more innocent days, the Kingston Trio sang The Merry Minuet: “The whole world is festering with unhappy souls, the French hate the Germans, the Germans hate the Poles, Italians hate Yugoslavs, South Africans hate the Dutch, and I…
‘Sustainable’ houses of worship are missing their best chance to save the planet
Today, fewer Americans belong to a house of worship or attend services regularly. The decline in religious participation offers challenges — and opportunities — for congregations determined to pursue environmental sustainability. The teachings of most religions and denominations encourage, if…
When it comes to child care costs, Dave Ramsey is the one who’s ‘dumber than crap’
“Come on dude. That’s just dumber than crap. Seriously. Good God,” the conservative evangelical financial celebrity and New York Times bestselling author Dave Ramsey ranted at a parent who called into his radio program asking for advice. Ramsey’s co-host Jade Warshaw piled…
About that SBC sexual abuse hotline; it just gets worse
The more time goes by, the more concerned I get about the Southern Baptist Convention’s sexual abuse hotline. For anyone who may be trying to make some kind of risk-benefit analysis in deciding whether to call the hotline, the balance…
Three responses to the volunteer shortage
Maybe it’s only me, but I don’t often encounter bombshell statistics, providing some radically helpful new insight. Not often, but not never. When they align with lived experience or shine the light on an insight we need, then statistics become…
Fundamentalism is not the only religious voice unless we give up
The Psalmist writes: “Yonder is the sea, great and wide, creeping things innumerable are there, living things both small and great. There go the ships, and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it.” Using the tools of biblical criticism, we…
The six most important words for healthy relationships
“What are the three most important words in a relationship?” In premarital counseling sessions, it’s usually the bride who answers — grinning coyly and speaking demurely as she answers. Sometimes both the bride and groom answer simultaneously. I once posed…
Hope for divided churches glimmers at the Grammys
I cried Sunday night watching two seemingly different individuals perform one of my favorite songs together. I love music and look forward to the Grammy Awards every year. While I love celebrating my favorite artists and watching about half the…
Politics, faith and mission: A conversation with Ty Seidule
The Lost Cause myth is the original Big Lie, building on cultural, historical and religious elements of culture to try to create (or recreate) a world where white men reign supreme and some version of America is Great Again. One…
How a beloved Christmas carol has misled us
One of the most beloved Christmas carols sung each year is the 19th-century anonymous verse set to music by James R. Murray (1841-1906), “Away in a Manger.” Away in a manger, No crib for a bed, The little Lord Jesus…