Transitioning from the beliefs I was raised with to the beliefs I now hold has taken me more than a decade. You don’t go from being a conservative evangelical to a progressive person of faith overnight. I used to be…
John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and necessary grace
No one should be surprised. These divisive times we currently endure remain strikingly similar to this nation’s very beginnings. Yes, the current administration continues to break norms and in now predictably unpredictable fashion. It provokes disdain, sows discord, stokes anger…
Three reasons Black well-being falls below others in the latest Gallup polling
New data from the Gallup National Health and Well-Being Index shows that Black Americans recorded the sharpest decrease in “well-being” in this year’s Index. This year’s Index shows that more than half of Black Americans (52%) could be classified as…
What I’ve learned about agreeing to disagree in contentious times
As a teacher for most of my adult life, I knew not everyone would — or should — blindly agree with my perspective. For at least two decades, I chose to teach my seminary graduate courses around conference tables rather…
‘I am third’ opens our minds toward a Christian political ethic
The great Chicago Bears running back Gale Sayers died recently. I admired him for what he did with a football in his hands, but what lingers with me are two books about him I read when I was a kid….
I wrote about climate change; now I’m hearing from mean Christians
I’ve had an interesting weekend. People on the Christian right have been emailing me to take issue with my BNG piece about white Christians and climate change. Unfortunately, they haven’t really engaged my arguments. They’ve mostly just called me names….
I follow Jesus and contribute to racism? Question mark?
Mark Wingfield makes a compelling case that “You cannot follow Jesus and endorse racism.” However, he may have placed the “Period” of his title a little too soon. I do believe the biggest problem in perpetuating racism is the “virulent white supremacist…
Rethink church staff evaluations during a pandemic
Many churches designate autumn as the best season to do staff evaluations. How is this important task even possible during a pandemic? I believe unprecedented times demand a different process. As a vocational minister for three churches over a period…
Let’s stop appealing to Magic Jesus and get busy doing Jesus’ work
I don’t believe in Magic Jesus. If I go lie down on the interstate and pray to Jesus for protection, even if we pray a hedge of protection around myself, even if I name it and claim it, no divine…