A rabbi and a pastor sit down to write a book. It sounds like the setup to a punchline, but it actually holds deep meaning for both of us. Ministering to a congregation is a unique privilege few get the…
Expelling dissent: America from Roger Williams to the ‘Tennessee Three’
On March 29 in the year of our Lord(?) 2023, hundreds of young people, many of junior and senior high school age, descended on the Tennessee state house in Nashville to demand government action to reduce the threat of school…
Three encounters of Jesus with women that should change us and our evangelism
It’s a lofty goal, to be sure, but we must continue to learn from Jesus how to approach people as individuals who have their own sacred history. Today’s social sciences are teaching us about the complexity of each one of…
Why such a need for literalism?
Why does a literal reading of the Bible hold such attraction for Christians? More to the point: How has belief in literalism led to Christian nationalism, to such awful ideas about how immigrants should be treated, to discrimination against women…
A toolbox for evangelism
I am notoriously bad at do-it-yourself projects. Indeed, it is something of a longstanding joke in our household. Among my litany of DIY failures are the sloping shelf my kids’ LEGO figures use as an indoor ski run, the time…
Enduring lessons from Holy Week
The sanctuary is still and the lights are out. The afternoon sunlight filters in through the ample windows along each side of the church. Every few minutes someone enters quietly and begins the journey of these seven stations. This has…
Bar fights and honest conversations: How do we bridge the gap?
Confession: I’m a drinkin’ Baptist. That’s a dangerous combination, because Baptists love to argue, and alcohol loosens our tongues. Recently I almost got into a fistfight at my favorite bar with three guys — count ’em, three — at a…
Tennessee legislators turn back the clock to Jim Crow time
The recent actions of the Tennessee Legislature to expel two Black Democratic representatives scream for answers. Why would members of the Republican Party, who have spent the past seven years swearing on a stack of Bibles, sometimes held upside down,…
God’s pronouns are they/them
God transcends gender. Theologically speaking, God is nonbinary. That means in English, God’s pronouns are they/them. God is trans. I’d love to say this thought was originally mine, but that would be another cis white man commandeering someone else’s thought,…
The Hateful Faithful are a threat in every religion and every country
In the past week, followers of Jesus observed Maundy Thursday and Good Friday rituals followed by Easter Sunday. The same week, adherents of Judaism were preparing for Passover. Meanwhile, followers of Islam were observing daily fasts during the month of…
Easter Monday at Bubba-Doo’s: The car wash explained
I needed the day off, although I would have gotten by OK if the church were open. Thankfully, my congregation has for years closed the church office so the staff can have the Monday after Easter off. Easing around home…
Critical Race Theory lines up with a biblical worldview
I first came to use Critical Race Theory as an academic tool about a decade ago. Around that time, I was helping lead a tour of urban Latina/o students at the university I worked at, together with a Christian urban…