World Autism Awareness Day is a good day for Christians to covenant together to learn about autism, to invite the child on the outskirts to the birthday party, to notice the one who sits alone and make room on our pew for them.
The Joseph story offers a model: on climate change, the ‘what-to-do’ matters more than the ‘why’
Christians, Jews and Muslims alike regard Joseph as a hero for taking seriously the vision and making a plan of action. Why can’t we see today’s climate scientists as the same kind of God-ordained forecasters?
Pastors and other church leaders: Give up social media. Not for Lent, but forever
Connected Technology is addictive. It is rewiring our brains, and it is built for its own insatiable hunger. We coded this connected system with our deepest sins, then set it loose to expand until it devours massive amounts of time – and life.
Transgender Day: a chance for churches to open doors and hearts to our transgender neighbors
As our society begins to make advances in understanding and supporting the transgender experience, religious communities must become leaders in creating spaces where transgender people openly and gladly tell their stories and are celebrated as the beautiful parts of God’s creation that they are.
Beyond condemning racist violence, the white church must grapple with ways it is implicated in that violence
Dismantling systems of racism and ending racism’s attendant violence will require white people to engage courageously in political action that is grounded in solidarity with people of color across differences of race, class and religion.
Courage amid a 21st-century reality: Worship can get you killed, anywhere in the world
People of faith, whatever the specific tradition, now confront a 21st-century global reality: Worship can get you killed, anywhere in the world.
Captain Marvel and Wonder Woman may thrill, but real life Wonder Woman inspires the fight for justice
The real life Wonder Woman, Israeli actress Gal Gadot, has stood against intolerance and nativism as an advocate peace, equality and tolerance. We should embrace the heroes and sheroes who challenge us to fight battles we did not think we could fight, much less win.
‘To love is to suffer.’ Saints like Julian and Hildegard point us to Jesus’ way of suffering love
To love and to care for others – indeed, to be fully alive – entails suffering in all its forms. Lent is an opportunity to enter afresh into the paschal mystery.
10 years as a church planter made me a church planting skeptic; here’s why
By themselves, entrepreneurial values in church planting are not bad, but there is a fine line between tailoring church to people’s needs and making church a commodity. In church planting this line often gets blurred.
A Lenten reflection about repentance, reparations and resistance
An appeal to my white Baptist sisters and brothers: when it comes to talk about the issue of reparations, I hope you will embrace and maintain a penitent silence during the remaining days of Lent.
Not that kind of Methodist: my sojourn as a Baptist minister in a Methodist church
As a Baptist minister, I owe much to an inclusive, gracious and open-minded Methodist church in Texas that invited me as a new Baptist seminary graduate to be their associate pastor. That gives me hope, despite the General Conference’s recent vote.
Lent is a good time to unlearn some things we think we know from scripture – and to listen anew
This season of quiet reflection, introspection and contrition may be the best time to consider our misunderstandings and to seek repentance, receive forgiveness and start anew. And to hear again the words of Jesus: “You have heard that it was said, but I say to you…”