Sometimes the Spirit’s timing feels downright intentional. Long before federal authorities would assume control of Washington, D.C., policing, our sermon calendar had us turning to Paul’s words about “the peace of God which is beyond all understanding.” This Sunday we’ll…
The rights of the born: An American dilemma
Great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the maimed, the blind, the mute and many others. They put them at his feet, and he cured them. (Matthew 15:30) As a parent of a person with special…
Why is there a rooster on the steeple?
Most Christian churches in the Southeastern United States, especially in Alabama, where I was raised, have crosses on the steeples of their churches. During my sabbatical in 2012, prompted by the Celtic crosses on the campus of First Baptist Church…
The word of the Lord to Donald Trump
We read from Isaiah 1 on Sunday, and the prophet didn’t mince words about Judah’s need to repent, not just of personal sin and idolatry but of remaining silent in the face of rampant injustice and oppression: Wash and make…
Imagine a world …
One of the shared family experiences we had when our sons were growing up was Star Trek: The Next Generation and the Star Wars series. As I recall, Joseph and I attended a midnight showing with a friend of his…
No matter how pervasive, resist a ‘new normal’ of cruelty
Cruelty has become a defining characteristic of our politics. It’s a shift that was troubling to many in the psychology community and began long before Donald Trump was elected president. Trump’s public persona is marked by a distinctive meanness. As…
Oh, Canada! You’re looking pretty good right now
Carol and I recently escaped to the Great White North, the Land of Maple Syrup and America’s Hat. After five days in Toronto, I am a bit of an expert. My sense is Canadians are friendly. People speak on the…
Families need to create their own spiritual rhythms
This is the fourth in a four-part series on making churches family friendly. Through our research and experience with churches and families, we have discovered faithful parents and caregivers want to engage children in the faith but often do…
In conversation with Reggie Williams
Reggie Williams is a writer, teacher and activist who teaches at St. Louis University. His book Bonhoeffer’s Black Jesus is an exceptional examination of how Dietrich Bonhoeffer was shaped and changed by his experience in the Black church in Harlem….
Which side are you on?
I was raised at the foot of the North Carolina mountains. Mounds of earth pushed up, bookmarking spots of creation that deserve a little more attention. Scientists say the Appalachian Mountains are ancient. Older than the Rockies, older than the…
This is what your indifference has done
A few weeks ago, one of my dearest friends called me on a Saturday evening from the floor of his apartment closet, where he was huddled in fear of ICE breaking down his door. My friend lives on the 25th…
Why I am staying: A call to reform the SBC from within
Change can feel like the hardest thing in the world. It brings forth tension — fear, anxiety, worry and even anger. We often see change as an enemy to fight, something to survive rather than embrace. But some change is…