In 2011, while I was studying as a doctoral student at the University of Toronto, I applied to be the coordinator of a soup kitchen one night a week a few blocks from Queen’s Park. It was called the Gathering…
Let’s begin again: The birds, the bees and abortions
As a preacher, teacher and spiritual leader, I start to get the nervous armpit sweats at the mere thought of speaking on the topic of abortion among church folk. The dialogue always feels more like a Medieval witch trial that…
Evangelicalism isn’t dying; it’s already dead
Long before there was evangelicalism, before there was even such a thing as Christianity, there was good news. As the earliest Jesus followers wrestled with exactly what it meant that this prophet from Nazareth had been crucified and resurrected, what…
The sacred work of white discomfort
In Florida, a state Senate committee wants to make it illegal to cause discomfort to white people. This bill, which reads like a scene from 1984, is a doozy. You can, and should, read the full text of it here. The bill…
My church started speaking another language (and it wasn’t unknown tongues)
Rodolfo has been taking care of my yard for three or four years. He does a great job and is one of the hardest-working guys I know. I see him all over the neighborhood, mowing and trimming grass. He tends…
Opportunities to apply the slight weight of our convictions
Recently I forwarded the social media link to an article detailing the ways religious piety was intertwined with the violent uprising at our nation’s Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. My ever-thoughtful friend Susan responded with this question: “Scary. How is…
Intrigue visits a booth at BubbaDoo’s
Isn’t it funny how the best comedy and the most intriguing fiction usually write themselves? The more I visit the old general store, the more fascinating I find the people-watching there to be. That’s because I’m getting to know the…
The meaning of Jesus in these odd times
I recently received an email from Alfonso Armada, playwright, author and journalist, who lives in Madrid, Spain. Candyce and I invited him to Wake Forest University several years ago where he gave a theater reading and spoke of international affairs…
I came to America the right way and still was imprisoned for more than five months
In 2018, I was at JFK airport about to fly internationally for the first time after the grant of my refugee status in 2017. The line was very long — the definitive punishment for people who could not afford a…
The roaring comeback of a toxic masculinity of power and victimization
Any Bible-memorizing kid still remembers Romans 3:23 — “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” The guilt, branded into our consciousness, never leaves us, but there’s something nagging about the “all.” All have sinned but…
America’s conscience: Moral bankruptcy and communal decay
For if the disinherited get such a new center as patriotism, for instance — liberty within the framework of a sense of country or nation, then the aim of not being killed is swallowed up by a larger and more…
An invitation to younger pastors
Young pastors, please pick the brains of older pastors. Because you don’t have to make every mistake in the book. We older, retired pastors in your area can help you avoid a few of the pitfalls of the ministry. We…