I had just left my corporate job — no backup plan, no security blanket, no savings plan that made sense on paper. Just a tug in my spirit I couldn’t ignore any longer. I was tired of running from God’s…
SNAP and my family
I was ordained in 2019 in what is called the CCCC (Conservative Congregational Christian Conference) after spending time as pastor of an American Baptist church in Kansas. Because of the political upheaval in the part of the country we were…
The hypocrisy of Christian nationalists not feeding the hungry
So let me see if I’ve got this right: According to Christian nationalists, the evangelical church ought to have control over America and run the government strictly by Christian principles. Why, then, are these same people unwilling to follow the…
How far does our care go?
As the director of a community center in one of the smallest neighborhoods in New Orleans, I often heard residents call Hollygrove-Dixon “the forgotten neighborhood.” Just a mile from Celebration Church’s main campus, it was largely unnoticed — until our…
Remembering Phyllis Trible
Phyllis Trible died in a hospital in Manhattan Oct. 17 at the age of 92, as confirmed by Union Theological Seminary, with whom the renowned scholar had a longstanding relationship. She leaves behind a sister, Barbara Pickrel, and two niblings,…
The spirit of revenge
The crusade to Make America Great Again is now dominated by the spirit of revenge. Longtime journalist Jonathan Karl has released his fourth book on Donald Trump: Retribution. Nobody needs to read the book to witness Trump’s public campaign of retaliation. Trump…
JD Vance has an odd way with words
In a video podcast with a crucifix-wearing host, Vice President JD Vance discusses his faith and views on immigration policy. Along the way, this happens: VANCE: “So, I would talk to constituents in Springfield, Ohio. This was when I was…
Is it time to get a divorce from institutional religion?
Last summer I ate lunch with a long-term kindred spirit friend who, like me, is a retired minister. We spoke about our vocations in the church, both the good and the bad. We also expressed deep disappointments with organized religion,…
The arthritic giraffe
It always troubles me when I hear people say, “I don’t even keep up with the news anymore.” They might be referring to cancelling their hometown newspaper subscription. Newspapers have been hurting for decades, most of their advertising (car dealerships…
How a jar of cookie ingredients led our family to church
As a denominational worker, I sat through countless trainings where visitation was considered a thing of the past as an outreach tool. The truth is, when a church is not held hostage by trends and theological debate, it has the…
House Republicans will pray to solve the problem they created
The House Freedom Caucus has announced a prayer meeting to seek God’s help solving a problem they created themselves. How ironic. Today’s prayer meeting was called, in part, to ask for divine intervention on the government shutdown, now in its…
Matt Queen’s return to the pastorate sends a message
In October 2024, Matt Queen pled guilty to lying to the FBI in a sexual abuse investigation, and now, just a year later, Queen has been hired as associate pastor at a prominent Southern Baptist church. At the time of his crime, Queen…