Scroll through YouTube and you will find them — the “1 vs. 20” debates hosted by Michelle Daf on The Dr. Daf Show. One atheist, one Muslim, one New Age adherent sit across from 20 Christian women, and for five…
I shook hands with a transgender woman, and I’m fine
I shook hands with a transgender woman. I did not get cooties. I did not fear she would take over the plane. I did not have Satan ease into my being. Every July since 2013, I travel to San Diego…
I broke up with my alma mater
I broke up with my alma mater this week. Irreconcilable differences. A couple of my friends already have gone through this process. It’s a bit disjointing. A few weeks ago, I attended a fundraising luncheon hosted by my faith-based alma…
How the church can care well for the abused
No institution is more uniquely positioned to care well for those experiencing domestic abuse than the church. The church offers something no hospital, courtroom, counseling office or government agency can fully provide: Enduring relationships, spiritual guidance, practical support, hope through…
Natalie Harp and Fox Connor: Comparison of two aides
Power gathers people. Some arrive through competence, some through devotion, some through accident, and some through the gravitational pull of a leader’s personality. In the modern presidency, aides often serve as extensions of the president’s habits, anxieties and information needs….
The gospel of the pinball wizard
When The Who’s Tommy catapulted onto the music scene in 1969, Americans were enraptured by the haunting music and story of a fictionalized young boy, Tommy Walker, who witnessed his father kill his mother’s lover, was sworn to secrecy by…
Reconsidering dissent amid the ‘conservative resurgence’
Dissent is in my bones. I grew up in a First Baptist Church in Northeastern Oklahoma, known for rowdy business meetings. It was common for news of those meetings to spread through the community before closing prayer. Keep in mind,…
When silence breeds fear
Every one of us has stood in a room where the truth needed saying and said nothing. We told ourselves it was not our place. We told ourselves someone else would speak. We studied our own shoes while another person…
In a world of bridge burners, we need more bridge builders
On July 27, the Gordie Howe International Bridge opened to the public, traversing the Detroit River from Detroit to Windsor in Ontario, Canada. Efforts to build the bridge began back in 2012 with the formation of the Windsor-Detroit Authority. The…
Atheism, nationalism and the conductor of the crazy train
About a year or so ago, actor Rainn Wilson posted on social media, “The metamorphosis of Jesus Christ from a humble servant of the abject poor to a symbol that stands for gun rights, prosperity theology, anti-science, limited government (that…
The peace of Charlie
For the past year, when I’ve been in town and not traveling for work, I’ve attended a historic downtown congregation not far from where I live. Over the course of that year, I’ve gotten to know members of the church…
The danger of negative religion
The federal government once employed a veterinarian as a food inspector. He inspected 75,000 chickens a week at a local poultry company. One day he made an interesting comment to a friend: “I never see a good chicken.” He went…