John Lewis has been called the moral conscience of the United States Congress. His death in July 2020 was a great loss to all of us. I mourn his death, but I call on his dream, his spirit, for our…
The day they tried to trap my father
It’s not even occurred to me to tell this story for maybe 30 years, but Father’s Day just happened and the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting just took place, and somebody just died a few days before that happened, and…
Jesus and the Ten Commandments
As a person who tries, however poorly, to live as a Jesus follower, I find myself fearing people who have only a casual acquaintance with Christianity might assume all Christians are applauding the recent Louisiana legislation that mandates posting the…
The dark shadows over July 4
The 248th birthday of our country will be celebrated this year under dark shadows. Personally, I will not be doing much celebrating. Let’s review our situation, shall we? Former President Donald Trump already was leading in the presidential election polls…
Living between Romans 13 and Revelation 13 as we celebrate our nation’s birthday
As July 4 approaches, we struggle with the political polarization in our nation and worry about our democracy threatened by the allure of autocracy. To use scriptural categories, we are living between Romans 13 and Revelation 13. Romans 13 has…
Monarchy redux: Follow the money
Who’d a thought that just prior to commemorating our overthrow of a king, the U.S. Supreme Court would reinstate monarchy? That might be an exaggeration, but only a teeny-weeny one. With today’s Supreme Court ruling, presidents of the U.S. have…
Redneck Requiem: An essay on friendship and death
Uva Uvam Vivendo Varia Fit A grape changes color when it sees another grape You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17) The Lonesome Dove miniseries is remembered for many things — outstanding theatrical roles…
Can progressive Christians be fundamentalists? Yes
Those of us who grew up in more conservative churches have found freedom in the exvangelical movement. Liberation Theology, multiple ways to interpret the Bible, and new theories that help us realize the Triune God is much bigger than we…
To renew the church, let’s redefine ‘Christian community’
The decline of the church in the Western world has been the subject of extensive study and speculation. Often, we focus our attention on the motivations of those who have left Christianity. In this season following Pentecost, however, perhaps we…