I guess this is a good time as any to think about change. Nature is teasing us with suggestions that biting wind and freezing temperatures will soon be distant memories; I even saw a few crocuses pushing their leaves up…
Face up to these five realities of church life today
Could we just get a few things straight about the state of the church in America today? There are some myths and misunderstandings floating around that seem plausible but upon further scrutiny just don’t hold up. Let’s name some of…
Is your social network your community? Probably not.
Henry Mintzberg of the University of McGill has asked an interesting question of those who believe they are living in community because of their social networks. “If you want to understand the difference between a network and a community,” he…
A geeky moment in the culture — and the church
I recently subscribed to Scientific American, the iconic popular science magazine. In other seasons of culture, the previous sentence may have read more confessional than I intend it, but as the latest installment of the “Star Wars” franchise has proven,…
Where is interfaith dialogue going?
Globalization and world religions, interlocking realities in our day, place the great faiths of the world in ever closer proximity. Incidences of violence, done in the name of religion, prompt questions about whether religion is a dangerous force to be…
Remaining curious
Developmental psychologist Susan Engel has written a book entitled The Hungry Mind: The Origins of Curiosity in Childhood. She claims that children’s curiosity is triggered when they experience “natural, complicated and messy places to play.” Natural, complicated and messy? That…
Don’t know beans about praying
Similarly, the spirit also helps us out in our weakness. For example, we don’t know beans about praying, but the Spirit himself speaks up for our unexpressed concerns. And he who x-rays our hearts understands the Spirit’s approach, since the…
Faces at the bottom of the well
Luke 9:28-36 “How does it feel to be a problem?” My third grade student, Chloe, asked me this question (quite aggressively, I might add) as I was lecturing her about paying attention in my class. I was a bit startled…
‘The G.O.P. created Donald Trump’
Thus read the headline in the New York Times opinion piece bemoaning the rise of the current Republican frontrunner for the presidency. The article was spot-on to an extent, with its discussion of Donald Trump’s success coming in part as…
Lessons from storms past and present
Early this morning, I drove north on Scenic Highway, one of the most beautiful coastal drives in America. And yet, as the sunrise glistened over Escambia Bay, the picturesque Florida scenery was scarred by nature’s whim. Stately oaks were uprooted,…
The invisible fanny pack of male pastor privilege
In my Sixth Sense voice: “I see fanny packs.” Peggy McIntosh saw a knapsack in 1989. First appearing in Peace and Freedom Magazine, her now famous article, “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack,” included a list of white privileges or…
A recently revealed truth
Recently, Candyce Leonard brought to my attention a passage from John Cheever’s novel, Falconer, in which the narrator says of Farragut, the main character: “Food was a recently revealed truth in his life. He had reasoned that the Holy Eucharist…