Most of us know the old saying that “sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” And most of us know that it is not true because words will hurt us. Over the past decade,…
‘Beautiful, ain’t it?’ Our tragic, magic lives
On Sunday mornings before worship, I check the news to see if there are any new tragic deaths that need to be mentioned. Sometimes I end up writing concerns in the margins of the sermon or the prayers of the…
The Southern Baptist Convention did not get ‘played’
I’ve spent a heckuva lot of time at the pottery studio this week. Working with clay is one of the things I do to try to keep myself steady when everything else seems too overwhelming. And with the release of…
What defines a Christian in the age of Christian nationalism?
Although different denominations will set different requirements, what it means to be a Christian often comes back to the Apostles’ Creed. It means believing in the deity of Jesus, his death and resurrection, the Trinity, and the final judgment. It’s…
Confessional Christianity and the choice Jesus offers
If you were listening to R&B in the early 1990s, especially in Cleveland, you may recall Chris Bender’s hit song “Who Will I Choose?” In the song Chris has a dilemma, he has two love interests contending for his heart….
Healing from LGBTQ exclusion requires acknowledging past pain
The faith experiences of many Queer Christians have unfolded in churches that once described themselves as “welcoming,” “inclusive” or “loving” yet stopped short of full affirmation. Some of those congregations have since changed. They now perform same-gender loving weddings, ordain…
Save democracy from the SAVE America Act
The president continues to keep pressure on his party to pass the SAVE America Act after a 51-48 vote on March 17 bringing it to the Senate floor for further discussion. This bill would disenfranchise millions of voters and suppress…
7 best practices for derailing vitalization in your church
No, I can’t take credit for these effective best practices. Yes, they are brilliant and highly effective, but I didn’t create them myself. Instead, people in churches pursuing vitalization brought these to my attention. Actually, there are more than seven…
Trump’s risky business
Donald Trump is a risk taker. His fans speak these words with pride. And indeed, what they say is true. Since Feb. 28, the world has been subjected to a giant risk in a war with Iran called “Epic Fury.”…
The tears of war
War is often measured in strategy, territory, and victory. But its deepest truth is measured in the tears of those left behind. Tonight, somewhere in America, a doorbell rang and a family’s world changed forever. Inside the home, life was…
Seeing Cubans as victims of assault
This week the big news is that the United States and Cuba are in high-level talks. Donald Trump brags: “I have the honor of taking Cuba. … I can do anything I want with it.” These comments follow earlier messages…
What’s fair for Cesar Chavez is fair for Donald Trump
Just a few weeks ago, I heard Dolores Huerta speak at the “Together for Democracy” conference in Washington, D.C. At nearly 96 years of age, she brought the crowd to their feet with chants and singing that raised the roof….