By Bill Leonard In recent days a series of unnatural disasters spread across the American landscape, extending from populous Boston to the small town of West, Texas, even winding through the power-laden corridors of the United States Senate. On Patriots’…
In the wake of Boston, social media heals
It was last week American experienced its first terrorist act through the lens of social media. Millions turned to Twitter, Facebook, and other social media networking sites to gain information on the bombings in Boston. During 9/11, many turned to TV and…
The fence through Friendship Park
A fence runs through Friendship Park at the western end of the U.S. border with Mexico. A 20-foot tall steel structure begun in late 2011 and completed in early 2012, it begins at the very spot where (without barriers) it…
Don’t blame immigrants for Boston
By Alan Bean When I recovered from the initial shock and horror of the Boston Marathon bombing, I automatically switched into advocacy mode. “Please, God,” I thought, “don’t let the perpetrators turn out to be foreigners or immigrants.” I am…
My Boston take-aways
These posts are truly difficult to write; partly because if you want to be real then you have to confess some things and partly because events such as occurred last week are not easy to process. I am not sure…
Running toward the blast
By Susan Sparks Readers, do me a favor. Fold your arms and don the surliest expression you can manage. Done? Good. Now you know what my last standup comedy audience looked like. Mercifully, times like these don’t happen often. When…
(Re)Imagining Redemption
David Kelsey, Professor of Theology at Yale Divinity School, asks a very simple yet powerful question, “What earthly difference can Jesus make here?” I’m in my sixth year of pastoring. I’ve completed three degrees that carry theological weight. I’ve been…
Mom CBF, Dad SBC, I love you. Stop fighting.
Divorce hurts children. My grandparents’ divorce still hurts their children and their grandchildren to this day — even though both have been dead for years. Certainly, the pain has lessened in time, but the wound is still there, for many…
Making peace between faith and science
By Fisher Humphreys At least since the publication of Charles Darwin’s The Origin of Species about a century and a half ago, many people, including many Christians, have felt that Christian theology and modern science must always be in conflict….