When we announced to the first church we served, in South Carolina, that we were moving to Alabama, someone came up right after church and said, “Here’s the question if you’re moving to Birmingham: Are you gonna say, ‘Roll Tide’…
Not all evangelicals afraid of dialogue, Muslims and Christians say
A new study illustrates in numbers what many already know intuitively: evangelicals aren’t big on dialoguing with anyone but themselves. “Evangelicals seem to have a particularly difficult time talking to those outside their group,” the Barna Group reported in a March…
Unprofessional Christianity, part 3: Dreaming
I still believe folks should encourage us to dream God-sized dreams for our lives, except of course when “God-sized” is simply code for “upper middle class sized,” as I’m not entirely sure it is the divine who has bountifully blessed…
Unprofessional Christianity, part 2: Dying
The stories of Zaevion Dobson, Freddie Grey, Tamir Rice, and the birth of Jesus decenter everything we think we know about the meaning of life and Christmas. This season has nothing to do with where you go after you die,…
Jerry Falwell Jr., Franklin Graham and the sad effects of terrorism on Christianity
The goal of terrorism is far more complex and far more sinister than just the taking of human life, as painful and devastating as that is. It is to instill a fear — a terror — in those who bear…
Are we finally witnessing the death of Christianity in America?
Several months ago a Pew Research study sparked what almost seem like shouts of glee from those who were eager to declare the impending death of Christianity in America. According to the report, Millennials are leaving the Church in droves…
Taking offense, but for the wrong reasons
By Joe LaGuardia In a society where people seem so easily offended there is no surprise that few call themselves Christians. Christianity is an offensive faith, there is no way around it. Unfortunately, for too many it has become offensive for…
Pope Francis is good for Christianity
As Pope Francis visits the United States, Catholics are full of excitement as the Holy Father visits in Washington, Philadelphia, and New York. It is very clear that his leadership will set a very different tone for the Catholic Church….
Dear Mr. Graham, Let me introduce you to some friends
Dear Mr. Graham, I’d like to introduce you to some friends of mine. The first friend is Golnaz. Golnaz is a bright and beautiful young woman from Iran. My husband first met her while working on a project at Harvard…