By Chris Hughes We’ve all made the mistake Jacob did when he woke up from sleep and declared the warm stone under his head “Bethel,” the house of God — as if X marked the spot for God’s dwelling place….
Moving magi — when scholars dance
By Angela Yarber What happens when scholars follow their hearts? What does it mean for Christian worship when these same scholars move their bodies? What are most of us missing during Epiphany? The answers are found in the mystical magi….
The river
By Bill Leonard Then, John the Baptizer stormed out of the wilderness, demanding repentance of everyone. Jesus showed up, seeking baptism, but John hesitates. Jesus insists and under muddy Jordan he goes, taking all God’s people with him. Now, New…
Sample ‘Blue Like Jazz’ not your father’s evangelistic flick
Gary Furr “Blue Like Jazz” arrived at selected theaters this past week, an odd stepchild among usual movie fare of aliens, vampires, and things that go boom. Derived from Donald Miller’s book by the same name, “Blue Like Jazz” is…
America shall not be exceptional
By Brian McLaren In “America the Exceptional,” an article published in the January 2012 issue of Sojourners, I intentionally misquote Genesis 12 as follows: “And the Lord said to Abraham, I will bless you and make your name great. I…
The apocalypse is coming
By Jim Denison Some warn that Planet X, or Nibiru, will collide with us or otherwise wreak havoc. Astronomers disagree: such a close object, if it existed, would already be visible in the night sky. Others predict that a geomagnetic…
The Christmas miracle — by the numbers
By Michael Ruffin Last summer Dr. Ali Binazir wrote a blog post in which he posed the question, “What are your chances of coming into being?” He considered such questions as (1) the odds of your parents meeting, which he…
Seeking the sun, similarities
By Angela Yarber When the media proclaims a supposed “war on Christmas” and chain stores debate the legitimacy of wishing shoppers “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas,” it is important to remember that all of us — liberals and conservatives,…
Rekindling hope
By Barry Howard Advent is a time to reclaim the hope we have in Christ. Our hope in Christ reminds us that through the ever-changing circumstances and seemingly insurmountable challenges of life, “with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26)….
Engaging the stranger
By Bill Leonard As Advent turns to Christmas and the reality of a New Year looms, we revisit that often overlooked post-nativity saga portrayed by innumerable artists as “the flight to Egypt.” Matthew 2:12-14 says that after the Magi left…
Skipping Christmas
By Brett Younger For centuries, Christians have celebrated the birth of Jesus by coming to church to sing, pray, remember, give thanks and recommit our lives to Christ. What were we thinking? This year, with Christmas falling on Sunday, many…
The 20-year war in Iraq
By Ken Sehested I don’t know what it was that penetrated my groggy reading of the Sunday morning paper, sitting at the kitchen table, the coffee maker’s final perks hacking like a smoker’s cough. Something, subliminally, coming from the radio…