It was a favorite Sunday school lesson, and we relished hearing it repeatedly. The story of God appearing to young Solomon as he assumes the kingship of Israel reminded us of what was most important: wisdom. “Give your servant therefore…
‘Queen of Soul’: from transcendent to transcendent
Aretha Franklin was the “Queen of Soul” because her voice and her musical phrasing – and the spirit that both articulated – reached something deeper in all of us; and she did it in a way that really no one else with her talents ever did.
Changing racial injustice: ‘We are the ones we’ve been waiting for’
The scourge of overt white supremacy has been with us all along, from the time the first Europeans washed up on these shores. It will persist until we fix it. And it is ours to fix. Now.
The subversive gift of children
The Bible’s accounts of children provide subversive stories which expose pride, hatred and entrenched, institutionalized evil. These stories remind us that our attitudes toward children reveal much about what is in our own hearts regarding all marginalized and devalued people.
Christian nationalism and the looming death of religious liberty
We must resist the ungodly and un-Christlike movement of Christian nationalism with all our might. We must decry it in our pulpits. We must soundly reject it with our votes. The future of religious liberty for all depends on it, as does the future of our nation.
In a divided country, pastoral leaders are called to love fiercely and speak truthfully – and to rest
It doesn’t matter where you fall on the political spectrum or even how your congregation shakes out politically. If you’re leading a group of people these days, you are feeling the added stress of this moment in our corporate life.
15 years of Preacher Camp: I can’t imagine ministry without these friends
At our annual Preacher Camp, it is pastoral ministry, with all the contextual uniqueness six churches can offer, that brings us to the table. An ancient truth, still challenging and comforting a hungry and hurting world, gives us a common hope and keeps us together.
Fundamentalism has (almost) won: Now what?
While responding to fundamentalism is exhausting, it is essential to question its immediate impact on American church/state, particularly since fundamentalist ideology seems to have become the default interpretation many American Christians implicitly or explicitly bring to bear on questions of scripture, doctrine, church and society.
Searching for a purposeful life, only to be surprised
Look closely. Listen carefully. Be ready to be surprised by the unexpected goodness alive and well all around us in big and small ways.
On the pathway of Jesus, can life be a joy ride?
When we genuinely pursue the common good with all the energy and vision we can summon, not only is a community transformed, but so are those who give themselves to the joyful work of justice. It is not only good for humanity, but God as well!
Our ‘sin of the bystander’ enables sexual abuse. We must change
As ‘bystanders’ to the trauma of sexual violence, we can choose to see and hear, refuse to keep the secret, empower survivors to tell their stories, and in their telling, open wide the windows of truth and healing.
Is our white Christian majority straining out gnats and swallowing camels?
It seems like the “gnats” we strain out are things that irk white Christian majorities, but the “camels” we leave in place are large-scale injustices or suffering among minority races, religions and sexualities. Maybe we should leave the gnats alone, if that’s what it takes to get our eyes focused on the “weightier matters.”