Never before in my lifetime have I feared for democracy, for the rule of law, for basic truthfulness and honesty, for human decency and kindness. But the cosmic Christ still calls us to live in hope, even when despair seems strong.
Lent 2020: Improvising grace and embracing repentance, civility and dissent in ‘a time of national urgency’
Whatever else, Lent is the church’s reminder that we are ever improvising, seizing the half-baked idea or the unexpected moment of irony, tragedy or failure as an occasion for grace.
Daring to enter the black holes of racism to do the cosmic work of racial justice
The Creator’s cosmic design encourages me as a white pastor to lead my church into the terrifying, life-altering work of racial justice.
From spreading ashes to administering them: Ash Wednesday for a broken and grieving minister
On Ash Wednesday, I will try to reconcile with a Jesus who stands before me, ready to offer the love I desperately need. I will try to find his hand amid my darkness, a brokenness that has nothing to do with my sin.
Are LGBTQ people deserving of death? Christian writers must watch their rhetoric
Christian news media and their writers should know better than to use the Bible to justify their bigotry.
Let’s bury the patriarchal narrative in American culture. Politics and churches are good places to start
American culture is patriarchal to the core. As author Leslie Dorrough Smith argues, the ideal male identity remains white, heterosexual and given to “family values” (even while their behavior contradicts this supposed conviction).
White America has been lying to itself about who we really are
We cannot continue to pretend that time will heal the deep wounds that divide us. Generation after generation, we bring our gifts to the altar without stopping first to do the work of reconciliation to which Jesus calls us.
Suckers for Trump: some ideas for groups that can build on the white evangelical base
Buoyed by ongoing evangelical support, Trump is going after even more unlikely supporters this election season.
Re-setting broken bones: Why the oft-lamented division in our culture is necessary and helpful
This moment does not call for cheap unity, but for a clarified division.
Letter to the Editor – Explaining the silence from Hardin-Simmons faculty and staff
From Robert P. Sellers in Abilene, Texas
The looming prophetic crisis and the urgency for truth-telling
Truth-telling is a moral imperative no matter who may resent hearing the truth, no matter who may refuse to believe the truth and no matter what people who oppose the truth may do to truth-tellers.
Letter to the Editor – HSU’s move against Pigott ‘devastating’
HSU’s move against Pigott “devastating”