I’ve been preaching the need for a “theology of reality” for years. We need the same kind of revolution in country music. My first musical love was the drum set, but when I got to middle school band, my dad…
Grieving for those who still are here
As a minister, I mostly deal with grief among parishioners as a process that follows the death of a friend or loved one. When a friend or loved one dies, a bereavement process begins, launching a journey that allows those…
Glimpses of grief reveal reality for women in ministry
During the summer of my Clinical Pastoral Education residency at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, all eight of us in the cohort experienced many deaths and sleepless on-call shifts. One day during education, we were noticeably and collectively “out of it.”…
Will White Christians respond to yet another police atrocity?
So, here we are again. Summer has come, another change of seasons. The 4th of July has passed, another celebration of America’s independence from England. And another young unarmed Black male killed by police. Another march in protest and another…
Don’t take preaching lessons from Christian nationalist Gen. Flynn
I’m attempting to wrap my mind around the idea of a former Army general telling me I should preach from the U.S. Constitution. I mention this only because Michael Flynn has been occupying American pulpits, recommending the Constitution as a…
Four truths from ‘The Gospel According to Stranger Things’
My wife and I are huge fans of the Netflix series Stranger Things. We’ve watched all the episodes, usually more than once, and we always watch them as soon as they’re released. Honestly, the show is one of the main…
To reclaim its role as community thought leader, the church must reflect on its action and its record
I was reading church minutes, bored out of my mind. Not the first time, nor probably the last. Then, I wondered: Why? Why was I so disconnected from what these markers of congregational history have to say? Perhaps some of…
What the curious history of ‘Judeo-Christian’ can teach us about defeating white Christian nationalism today
The hearings conducted by the House Select Committee to investigate the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol have highlighted the powerful role that white Christian nationalism played in the attack on the Capitol. The Congressional Committee featured Trump ally…
Spiritual direction provides a path for personal healing and a way forward for the church
It’s evening, and I’m sitting at my home desk in front of a computer screen. I have a Zoom room opened up. Once again. I have been here a million times before, except this time, the lights are dim, the…
To fight against injustice, opt for unapologetic skepticism over cynicism
I earned a degree in political science, served as an officer in the U.S. Army, earned a law degree, practiced and taught law, chaired a state agency, presided as a state appellate and trial judge, and have been actively involved…
When love does not conquer all
As a teen, I dreamed of marrying someone who would be my best friend and confidante. I dreamed of someone who would make me laugh and share my joy. I dreamed of lifelong companionship, shared goals and happily ever after….
The troubled waters of sexual diversity: Willful blindness
This is the fourth in a series of articles on sexual diversity. C.S. Lewis referred to his atheism prior to his conversion to Christianity as “willful blindness.” This description undoubtedly describes my state of spiritual blindness before I began seeing…