You never know when an ending is really God’s new beginning. It was during a meeting of adult Sunday school class leaders. When asked what classes were celebrating, a young man named Randy raised his hand. “I have a celebration,”…
Where to go from here: Re-imagining Charlotte
A few weeks ago, I saw the renderings of a new development headed to the edge of a gentrifying neighborhood in Charlotte, N.C. The space looked nice, like the kind of spot many Charlotteans would be excited to walk or…
Anatomy of a conference: Why God and guns?
At the beginning of October, The Riverside Church hosted God and Guns: Faith Leaders Address Gun Violence. Highlights from the day and video of the presentations can be found here. More than 100 faith leaders from across the country gathered in…
Churches need to talk about sexual assault
Last Thursday, Michelle Obama delivered a stirring speech on sexual assault and harassment before her standard stump speech for Hillary Clinton. Her words were of the kind that should not have to be said; nevertheless, Obama gave the sermon many…
It’s an odd time to be a male
I like to think of myself as a “sensitive” male. That doesn’t mean I always live up to my own billing, I’m sure. But it’s what I want to think about myself. After all, I’ve never groped a woman, never…
Shechem for president: Erasing the voices of the sexually abused
We know Jacob was not just the father of boys. After the list of all the sons born to Leah, as an afterthought the birth of Dinah is mentioned (Gen. 30:21). We can only wonder how many other daughters who…
Will ‘reconciliation’ after a divisive election abandon key moral issues?
In his 2005 book, Reforging the White Republic: Race, Religion, and American Nationalism, 1865-1898, historian Edward Blum shows how Christians in U.S. northern states in the late 19th century abandoned the project of helping former slaves in order to reconcile with…
Lessons in dismantling white supremacy
Last week, three of my Baptist communities declared their full-bodied, faithful commitment to the work of racial justice. The boards of directors for both the Alliance of Baptists and the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America–Bautistas por la Paz, released…
The shackles of shopping in the ‘land of the free’
Let’s start with the undeniable: “You are the target.” You are the subject of massive amounts of research. You cannot begin to imagine the money spent to woo you. Entire industries exist to define, stimulate and trigger your cravings. And,…
Calling our people into stillness is a subversive act
On a recent Thursday, my day off, I was in my pajamas, sipping coffee and reading the news on my computer when I received a text from my spiritual director, Charlotte: “You on your way?” It was 10:10 a.m. When…
First class, economy and privilege
Words like privilege, entitlement and equal access have suddenly taken on enormous significance in our culture. Until recently, I viewed myself as very egalitarian. But onboard a recent commercial flight, I learned something disturbing about myself. Maybe I’m not as…
Prayer in the present chaos
In the nightmare of this presidential election season, many are tempted to swear off (hopefully not just swear at) political engagement. The level of discourse has been hard to endure as ad hominem allegations have generally trumped substance. When the…