Riverside’s church council held a double standard against the first woman to serve as our senior minister. Two contrasting investigations demonstrate how the council acted differently towards a woman versus a man.
Anointed by the little hands of my 5 year old; sustained through my agonizing pregnancy by her faith
My at-risk pregnancy was physically and spiritually strenuous and often excruciatingly painful. It was the faith of our 5-year-old daughter that helped sustain me.
Ungida por las manos de mi niña de 5 años; sostenida por su fe durante mi embarazo agonizante
Mi embarazo de alto riesgo fue física y espiritualmente extenuante, y a menudo, terriblemente doloroso. Fue la fe de mi hija de 5 años lo que me ayudó a sostenerme.
Persons of color are weary of the forgiveness conversation. We want honesty from white Americans
Brandt Jean’s embrace of his brother’s killer triggered a national conversation about forgiveness. But another conversation needs to be had in America and its churches.
Churches, like public schools, face a ‘shortage’ crisis. Could this be an opportunity for both?
The American Church’s anxiety and desperation to survive – much like that of our nation’s reeling education system – frequently occludes its view of how to be helpful both to the world and to itself.
‘Almost Christian’ youth and the challenge of passing on a robust faith
One author notes that “if teenagers lack an articulate faith, maybe it is because the faith we show them is too spineless to merit much in the way of conversation.” How can we entrust the treasure of the Gospel in faithful ways for those who follow us?
When the Holy Spirit joined my Uber ride
This is not one of those preacher stories that ends with someone saying the sinner’s prayer and getting baptized. But redemption traveled with us that night as we talked about life, pain and hope.
Looking around today, it’s hard to imagine any ‘Stranger Things’
While “Stranger Things” is fascinating entertainment, some parts of its imaginative script reflect eerily similar conditions in our country.
When the church you lead is the Titanic
Traditional, established congregations that are more than 40 years old are in steady and persistent decline. Now is the time to speak the truth, reclaim our hope and launch a realistic and thoughtful plan for our future as God’s people.
Want to truly memorialize a 100-year-old race massacre? Let the people see the truth
We will not be afraid or lose hope or stop working for racial justice – meaning restitution and reparations – no matter how white supremacists and their quieter sympathizers sanitize bigotry, hypocrisy and addiction to greed with their hollow gestures.
Brandt Jean’s forgiveness of his brother’s killer was a Christ-like act; so is the call for justice
I acknowledge the bravery and faith that it must have required to say before the entire world, “I forgive.” But “I forgive you” is not the only cry we must hear.
Moral leadership in the face of gun violence: For the church, this IS our lane
The Church cannot afford to be silent about gun violence in America, not only because of the lives it claims, but also because it is connected to issues such as homophobia, misogyny and racism.