A good number of evangelical Christians self-identify as Bible believers. It’s a peculiar way for a Christian to self-identify when you think about it. A Christian is someone who has some kind of relationship to Christ. After all Christ is…
Churches helping refugees despite fear and rhetoric, say those involved in resettlement
For some Americans, domestic and overseas terror attacks, plus a good dose of anti-Syrian political rhetoric, have made refugee resettlement something to be feared. And a lot of the Americans who hold that view are churchgoers – including a lot…
Looking at others through the lens of love
By R. Kevin Johnson I passed a Muslim woman on the street wearing a hijab. She walked quickly with her head down. She acted like she didn’t want to be noticed. She looked scared. Perhaps her fear is justified given…
Can prayer be abusive?
By Laura Rector A conservative Christian man “prayerfully” spanks his spouse as Christian “discipline.” A Christian institution “prays” for those who lose their jobs in a restructuring. A Christian employer uses prayer to promote going along with an agenda, rather…
The dangers of radical Islam and Christian hypocrisy
I’ll be honest. The sight of all those cheering Christians almost brought me to tears. I cannot bear the thought of a so-called “Christian” sanctuary filled with cheers and praise. The pastor says: bomb the hell out of them, just…
matter, that is.
When you’ve spent your entire life asking the world for permission to exist, it can be rather unnerving when it repeatedly answers back with a resounding “no.” Growing up, I enjoyed a rather typical existence for a middle class white…
How hard it is to enter the Kingdom of God!
I’m not a Christian because it makes my life easier; to the contrary, it makes my life harder. It’s easier to fear than it is to love It’s easier to hold grudges than it is to forgive It’s easier to…
Redemption at Duke Chapel
Admittedly jarring in light of the recent tragedies in Paris and Nigeria was the news that on Fridays at noon the Muslim call to prayer will be chanted and broadcast from atop the Duke University Chapel bell tower. Having travelled…
Blasphemy and freedom
The Charlie Hebdo incident: we cannot not sight it and refrain from all comment. It would be redundant to revisit here the obvious aspects of the incident. Thus, obviously, the murderers at the office of the French satirical magazine were…