The Christian movement has never been in a cozy relationship with empire and remained a healthy and vital movement. Rightly spoken, “Jesus is Lord” is always a statement of subversion to the empire’s rule. And there are no easy or…
Am I not radical enough to be on the Professor Watchlist?
An open letter to the folks at Professor Watchlist: I am deeply angry, upset, frustrated and irritated with the aggregated list you all compiled of “dangerous professors” with “radical agendas.” Specifically, what deeply disturbs me about your list is that…
The ‘Water of Life’ in an age of water scarcity
It’s only a matter of time when two nations go to war not over access to oil, but to water. Bypass the debate about whether climate change is causing this — the reality, according to the United Nations, is that…
I’ll be somewhere else for Christmas
In December of 1998 my father made an unusual holiday journey. Less than a year earlier he’d been diagnosed with melanoma which eventually laid siege to his brain. After fruitless rounds of chemotherapy and gamma knife treatments, Dad had a…
Less fake, more real
In 1787, so the story goes, a Russian named Grigory Potemkin erected a portable, fake village in order to impress the visiting Empress Catherine II. Thus the phrase “Potemkin village” has come into our lexicon to describe anything literal or…
Justice and joy combined in the words of Mary
Justice and joy are intertwined, not unlike the link between joy and pain. To love is to suffer, as the mystics remind us. Deeply acquainted with the recesses of the human heart, C. S. Lewis wrote: “Joy is distinct not…
With fear, everything becomes a potential weapon, even church bells
Under a covered patch of brick in our church parking lot there hangs an enormous bronze bell. It dates back to 1887 and hung in our spire until a structural engineer submitted a report back in the 1960s telling us…
Nurturing an eye for hidden mangers
“Give us, Thy people, so susceptible to size, so easily impressed by worldly rank and scope; give us, O God, an eye for mangers tucked away in stables.” — “Christmas Prayer,” Rev. Dr. Ernest Campbell (1923-2010) My pastor quoted Dr….
Unfocused: The name of these congregations is Legion
When I say, “Hello, my name is George, and I am a Facebook addict,” the proper response from a 12-step group is, “Hello, George.” I love posting on Facebook and sharing with folks what is going on, and particularly sharing…
No longer in-valid
Invalid: “One who is incapacitated by illness or disability” In-valid: “Null; Not legally or factually valid” “Now in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate there is a pool, called in Hebrew Beth-zatha, which has five porticoes. In these lay many invalids…
Maybe preachers count after all
We stepped up to the desk and the attendant gave instructions about the pre-op procedure, the location of the waiting room, restroom, vending machines and what to expect over the next few hours. She informed the wife and son of…
Post election thoughts and raising bicultural children: fears, challenges and opportunities
La versión en español está disponible aquí. During the recent presidential election, I observed with dismay the counting of the electoral votes. As I tried to deal with the night’s stress, I resorted to intense cooking (at least for my…