It shouldn’t be this difficult to convince conservative Christians to love their neighbor. But in seemingly every example of someone in power mistreating the marginalized these days, the Religious Right sides with the person in power. The presence those on…
What I learned when I asked women if church is safe for them
Is the church a safe place for women? Well of course it is, right? I would have thought the church was a safe place, too, until the results came in from my research with more than 2,800 women who worked…
No Good Samaritan
Most of us have a warm and fuzzy image of Jesus. We envision strolling through the countryside, eating loaves and fish with him, basking in the miracles of the sick who are healed and sent home whole again. It’s cozy…
Putin’s asset
Stories matter. Narratives rule the day in this era of social media and the 24-hour news cycle. Here’s a narrative that often gets lost in the daily breaking news. It must have started in November 2013, when the future president’s…
The Mosaic Church is beautiful but feels like an Israeli tourism ad
One of the fascinating things about ancient cities is how easy it can be to dig into the ground without knowing what you will find. This is true in cities like Rome, where construction workers discovering archeological sites regularly halt…
From flattening the curve to widening the circle: Zoom church 5 years later
Five years ago, at Oakhurst Baptist Church we sounded the call that we would be joining many other churches in going virtual to help flatten the coronavirus curve and do our part to slow the spread of the disease. There…
Wake up, liberal Democrats; and I guess you’ll have to abduct me, too, President Trump
Since only 1.1% of the U.S. population is Muslim, let’s play “Six Degrees to a Muslim Friend.” Years ago, Karen Park — the child of missionaries to Chile — introduced me to Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. The seminary introduced me…
God is not … a Christian
Brent Laytham, a former professor of theology at North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago and currently running the ecumenical division of America’s first Catholic seminary, has edited a fascinating book titled God Is Not … . The book — written…
Lent 2025: Not a moment too soon
The Ash Wednesday liturgy in The Book of Common Prayer includes this reading: Dear People of God: The first Christians observed with great devotion the days of our Lord’s passion and resurrection, and it became the custom of the Church…
The kingdom of God is not about efficiency
We have heard a great deal about efficiency lately. The current administration has made “efficiency” a buzzword that raises lots of concerns by the way it is being applied. It has led to the gross dismissal of thousands of civil…
Why empathy is under assault today
If empathy were a person, she would be in therapy for abuse. After a life of virtue, empathy has been cast into the street by an array of detractors as varied as billionaires, psychologists and evangelicals. The wealthiest man in…
What I found hiding in my church library
Some of my former fellow seminarians reminded me on social media at the beginning of this week that 31 years ago on March 9, 1994, Russell Dilday was fired by trustees as president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary after ultraconservatives…