AI Appreciation Day is coming. Churches will get their share of attention. Much of it will follow a familiar script. AI-powered translation is entering American ministry. Congregations use it to offer live translations of worship services in multiple languages, without…
When ‘patriotism’ turns to assault
I love America, and I greatly appreciate the dedication and sacrifice many of my family members and friends have rendered our country by serving in the military. I am a patriotic American who proudly flies the American flag and stands…
‘Pastor, we’ve never been through this before’
Every minister hears these words. And in that moment, when grief is raw and a family looks to you for guidance, what do you say? In Eulogy: Remembering a Life through God’s Good Word, I draw on more than 40 years…
America keeps mistaking Black children for threats
Cyrus Carmack-Belton. That was the name of the 14-year-old Black boy in South Carolina chased, shot and killed after being accused of stealing bottled water from a gas station store. A jury recently acquitted the store owner in his death….
Mark Driscoll is a fool who needs to read church history — and the Bible
Mark Driscoll says you can’t be a “Bible-believing Christian and a socialist.” He also declares, “I am a capitalist becase I am a Christian.” He clearly doesn’t know church history and hasn’t absorbed the book of Acts. According to Encyclopedia…
Our legacy of dissent
Toward the end of his life, the great dissenter and short-time Baptist Roger Williams (1603-1683) reflected on the founding of Providence Plantation in the American colony of Rhode Island, writing: I desired it might be for a shelter for persons…
When the president targets Muslim kindergartners, families like mine also pay the price
Like many Americans, I was appalled when I heard about President Donald Trump’s anti-Muslim social media post bullying kindergartners in Minnesota for wearing hijabs. Since then, many have voiced their support for the 5-year olds, including the popular YouTube educator Ms….
What I plan to talk about at Wild Goose Festival
“When are you gonna lead one of these workshops for us?” Tim asked me this question the first time he spoke to me about coming to the Wild Goose Festival. He messaged me out of the blue over something I’d…
In conversation with Lizzie McManus-Dail
One of the most important ways my writing and theological lives have collided in recent years is in conversations about how the church could show up for people who have left the church, conversations on deconstruction and reconstruction in the…
Children are hungry tonight because of Lindsey Graham
Senator Lindsey Graham is dead at 71. He died the way he lived — in motion, at full throttle, pressing some cause or another into the next news cycle. He had just returned from Ukraine, where he met with President…
Rahab and the violence of Zionism
Everyone knows what fate awaited the pagans of the Old Testament who opposed Yahweh’s chosen people, or who simply happened to be living in the wrong place at the wrong time. The Hebrew authors made it plain: The Egyptians suffered…
Belgian footballer set an example for men worldwide
Earlier in this year’s World Cup, Belgian winger Jeremy Doku decided to be with his wife, Shireen, during the birth of their son instead of playing in the first few matches. French broadcaster France Pierron labeled the moment “disgusting,” adding…