Dear Tennessee representatives who voted to expel two of the Tennessee Three: I know most of you profess Christianity. I hope you and yours had a joyous Easter. I wish our state could have. Alas, the venomous viper of power…
Four ways to be in helpful relationship with those living with infertility
I’m not sure who started the phrase, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me,” but I’d like a word with them. Most of us who have been through the experience of middle school know…
Is the dramatic global rise in unhappiness correlated with the continued drop in church attendance?
Unhappiness has been on the rise around the globe across the past 10 years, Gallup reports. This rise in unhappiness runs deeper than the worldwide dread felt during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been brewing for quite some…
This Galentine’s Day, make new friends but keep the old ones
In February 2010, the writers of Parks and Recreation introduced a new holiday to American pop culture: Galentine’s Day. As this memorable episode opens, the sitcom’s exuberant main character, Leslie Knope, is distributing gift bags to women gathered around a…
The church must show the world a more excellent way of nonviolence
The Monterey Park shooting was the 36th mass shooting in the USA in this young year. Reporters have trouble covering all the violence in our culture. Some of the violence stands out in graphic and horrifying detail. A 6-year-old child…
Do I Stay Christian? and other questions to think twice about before asking
I like to think of myself as an innovative, avant-garde and cutting-edge minister, so I am always on the lookout for books that will make me look more radical than I actually am. Brian McLaren titled his latest book to…
It will take more than marketing to redeem the reputation of the church
In case you missed it, the Washington Post recently published an article stating that a $100 million marketing campaign has been launched in an attempt to “redeem Jesus’ brand from the damage done by some of his followers.” The marketing…
How the church becomes a grooming place for domestic violence
Churches and Christian groups often instill in young women character traits that, unfortunately, open the gateway to dating violence and domestic abuse. By gendering character traits, the church has increased the power of men and the marginalization of women. Patriarchal…
The unsolvable political problem facing those who lead purple churches
The United States is bitterly divided along what we now call red/blue, conservative/liberal, Republican/Democrat lines. Of course, not everyone fits into those boxes, but enough do for the statement to be accurate. The mutual suspicion and social separation between the…