The sad songs that are popular at Christmas are not sad enough. Sinatra’s Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas pretends to be sad, but Frank promises that “next year all our troubles will be miles away,” and Frank usually got what…
Of drag shows and the scandal of Christmas
I enjoy drag shows, and I love drag queens, because they are all oh so much fun. Oh, and also, because of Jesus. If Christmas means anything, it means God so loves the queer community that Jesus is born unto…
How to use ‘O Come, O Come, Emmanuel’ for daily reflection beginning Dec. 17
The season of Advent may present a challenge for worship planners whose congregations clamor to sing Christmas carols rather than Advent hymns. After all, our ears have been beset with Christmas music since October in retail stores, restaurants and on…
With gratitude for the Respect for Marriage Act, we’ve still got Advent work to do
Last Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Respect for Marriage Act, providing federal protection for same-sex and interracial marriages. Outgoing Speaker Nancy Pelosi beamed on the House floor as she emphasized the importance of this legislation, the culmination…
Mary, Our Mother (for Baptists): I don’t think that word means what you think it means
This is the third in a four-part series BNG will publish every Monday during Advent. I, like many of you, was in at least one Christmas pageant as a child growing up in the Baptist church. Sadly, I can distinctly…
Gifts of the season
Can you imagine this season without light? Light is the essence of Christmas, illuminating the birth of Christ and drawing us into its message of hope, love, peace and joy. It’s no surprise that light is in many holiday traditions:…
Nondenominationalizing American Christianity II: The responses
You could have fooled me! When BNG published my essay, “The Non-denominationalizing of American Christianity,” Nov. 29, I posted it on my Facebook page, never imagining it would elicit much response. Was I ever surprised! Comments abounded, some with considerable…
When hate speech meets the First Amendment, what should Christians do?
Hate speech, like an erratic stock market, rises and falls. The primary instigators of the last two jumps in hate speech have been Donald Trump (beginning in 2015) and Elon Musk, the new owner of Twitter. In Trump’s case, there…
Reflections on the 10th anniversary of Sandy Hook
Anniversaries are normally a time for joyous celebration. However, this year Dec. 14 will be a day for solemn contemplation. It is the 10th anniversary of the tragic murder of 20 children and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School…
This Christmas season, let’s not kill Jesus before he’s even born
As Christmas nears, one of my favorite things to do is look at Christmas lights. Nothing feels more festive than driving around that one neighborhood in town with the large historic homes decorated immaculately with twinkling lights and Christmas cheer….
The shock of being 60 years old
I turned 60 years old this past summer. I have not quite gotten over it yet. Sixty is just different. It definitely feels at least three years older than 59. “They” say age is just a number. So maybe this…
Once ordained, always ordained?
Long ago, Carlyle Marney, an irascible Baptist preacher of blessed memory, praised Ralph Waldo Emerson for leaving the ministry because his conscience prevented him from serving the Lord’s Supper. Marney noted if he ever left the ministry, it would be…