¿Podemos sentir que hay seres humanos muy cerca, creados a la imagen de Dios, que están siendo enterrados? Si no podemos, tal vez debemos guardar silencio y poner mucha atención para así poder escuchar sus historias de sufrimiento debido a condiciones espirituales, sociales, económicas y/o físicas que nos son desconocidas.
In the aftermath of massacre, a tribute to the true savior
In these troubled times, we now pay tribute to our savior. It is in you we find our safety and security. It is to you we run when we are threatened; when our enemies come against our children and our families, we turn to you.
Putting God to the test
Dictating how God must respond reduces the sovereign one to our level, a risky proposition, indeed.
Anti-Semitism and criticism of Israel are not the same
I recognize our anti-Semitic history, cognizant of how our Jewish sisters and brothers suffered at the hands of Christians for centuries; but this does not excuse the oppressed of history wielding the power of the oppressors.
The ‘mission gap’: The heart of the Church’s crisis in attendance and support
When a congregation wants to get, stay or remain healthy, one of the key questions it asks has to do with the balance between its internal and an external focus. One excellent congregational exercise to help with this question is…
Kneel or stand? A consideration of ‘imago Dei’
For the right, the flag is worth honoring and protecting. For the left, racial issues tear at the fabric of what it means to be human. Which one is right?
Lost Cause religion: A zombie mindset
Many elements of Lost Cause religion were rooted in distorted biblical hermeneutics, interpretative methods that gave proof texts for anti-Semitism, chattel slavery, Jim Crow separatism and white privilege.
Does God play favorites?
Those who are spared must not simply rejoice in their seeming “chosenness,” but must use every resource to alleviate the suffering of others. Guilt may not be the best source of motivation, but if it spurs compassion, it is constructive.
Beware of the ‘Sneak-a-Preach’
What is appropriate in private prayer or in small-group prayer or family prayer or in devotional prayer may not be appropriate in Sunday morning corporate worship. There is a difference.
Longing for a new season and the weariness of the current age
In nature, and from year to year, new seasons come and go. Sometimes we long for the season prior, but often we long most deeply for the season ahead. Church and ministry can also be that way.
Shining a light on state torture
Redemption, in the spiritual and political realm, is not an inevitable outcome, but a process. It is the result of an enduring and unwavering commitment to seek the truth and pursue justice.
Sins I could have committed, but I was on the ‘other team’
The teachers never checked the area between the gym and the cafeteria — the perfect place for high stakes penny pitching. Fifth grade boys lined up during recess and threw pennies at a brick wall. Whoever’s penny stayed closest to…