Seriously. How hard can it be to call someone by the name they want to be called? Is this such a huge imposition? To hear a lot of conservative evangelicals tell it, yeah, such a simple thing goes against their…
Creating welcoming church spaces for families
This is the second in a series on making churches family friendly. Through our research and experience with churches and families, we have come to learn how busy families are. When families attend church, they make an intentional choice…
As one born among us
“When an immigrant resides with you, you shall not oppress the immigrant. The immigrant shall be to you as one who was born among you; you shall love the immigrant as yourself.” Those words from Leviticus 19:33-34 belong to…
Why American Christians are divided
“Is Christ divided?” Paul asks the rhetorical question to the church in Corinth. The answer of course is, “no.” However, the undercurrent of the church in Corinth was that even though Christ is not divided, the Christians were. We must…
A less than Christian nation?
And Mary said: God’s name is Holy, his mercy sure from generation to generation toward those who fear him; the deeds his own right arm has done disclose his might: the arrogant of heart and mind God has routed, He…
Praying with our eyes open
I recently gave a tour of Plymouth Church in Brooklyn to a high school youth choir from Georgia. I ask, “What do Southerners think the South is better at than New York?” They give the answers we would expect. “The…
If you act right … Actually, it takes more than acting
Then the Lord said to Cain: Why are you angry? Why are you dejected? If you act rightly, you will be accepted; but if not, sin lies in wait at the door: its urge is for you, yet (but) you…
ICE, Gaza and the threat of stupid Jesus
“They killed the boy.” That was the explanation a Bible professor once gave me for why Jesus wasn’t a good model of leadership. The Christian scholar had been describing how, many years before, a subordinate had proposed holding a pastor’s…
Dear men who support women in ministry (part 2) …
In 2024, the Survey Center on American Life revealed a significant shift: More Gen Z women are disengaging from the formative religion of their youth than are Gen Z men. This marks a notable reversal from the three previous generations,…
A 34-year game of tag
There are some things we do early in life that probably ought to stick with us more than they do. They could vary from you to me. But I think anything that fosters playfulness, laughter and awe, and that helps…
There are better ways to read the Bible
“Your son is disruptive, disrespectful and dishonoring to God. He asks too many questions during Bible study, and it’s causing the other students to doubt their faith. I’m sorry, but he’s not welcome here anymore.” My youth pastor said this…
Remembering Hulk Hogan: The man, the myth, the mixed legacy
Terry Gene Bollea — known to the world as Hulk Hogan — was more than just a wrestling icon. He was a cultural phenomenon. The man who ripped T-shirts with ease and flexed biceps like bronze statues died Thursday morning…