South Africa is home to Africa’s largest drive for solar and renewable energy, allowing rural churches — which were forgotten in electrification of the last two decades — to finally light up on the cheap. “It’s the first time to…
‘Who sets the temperature in the sanctuary?’ and other questions pastor candidates ought to ask
After seminary, I was coming to the end of my one-year residency as a hospital chaplain. I was a few months from unemployment and had turned up the heat on finding a position. After a miserable experience in a church…
A church shopper’s guide to finding the right church for you
If I were trying to find a church in which to invest myself I would be a very careful shopper. Sure, I would pay some attention to the name on the sign (Methodist, Baptist, Episcopal, etc.), but not too much….
How any pastor, even if they’re not affirming, can love queer people
In recent news, a massive exodus of the church has come into focus. A New York Times series by Jessica Grose tracks and analyzes why “the largest and fastest religious shift is under way,” and back in the fall, Pew…
4 places to put your tithe money if you no longer attend church
You’ve tithed all your life to a church, dutifully giving that 10% “back to God” as you were taught. But then something happened. A loved one came out. Or you came out. Or Trump got elected. Or the pandemic happened….
Want to ‘protect the children’? Start somewhere other than fearing LGBTQ people
A rhetoric of “protecting the children” has been gaining momentum over the last two years, and it’s targeting the LGBTQ community. On June 9, the hashtag “LeaveOurKidsAlone” was used on Twitter to celebrate young kids trampling Pride flags. The hashtag…
If you bet on how many churches the SBC will kick out, take the ‘under’
Southern Baptists will not excommunicate as many churches with women pastors as you might think. They won’t even get the chance. In fact, if Las Vegas oddsmakers set an over/under bet on how many churches the Southern Baptist Convention will…
What I learned when I invited a friend to church who processes the world differently than me
I love my church. Inviting my friend to join me for Pentecost Sunday and lunch afterward was an easy, uncomplicated act. The service that day was jubilant; our people warmly inviting. There was much shaking of hands and a few…
What I learned from Taylor Swift
I knew something was up weeks earlier. Making my typical hotel arrangements for the monthly trip to Nashville seemed complicated. Every hotel was sold out. Even my trusty 15-miles-outside-the-city economy hotel wanted $500 for a night’s stay. It only took…