By Miguel de la Torre Imagine for the moment that I found fundamentalist Christians to be an abomination to the gospel message of Jesus Christ; or that I believe that the Tea Party is satanic. Now imagine that I own…
No marriage at all?
By Corey Fields In a recent interview with News 9 in Oklahoma City, state representative Mike Turner said, “[My constituents are] willing to have that discussion about whether marriage needs to be regulated by the state at all.” When I…
Finding new meaning in ‘blood’ language
By Andrew Gardner For numerous people the sight of blood can cause a level of queasiness unmatched by anything else. In a somewhat related manner, for some Christians who characterize themselves as moderate, progressive or (dare I say) liberal, the…
A kiss of solidarity
By Bert Montgomery A picture is worth a thousand words, they say. This week, I learned just how true that is. I’ve written thousands of words over the past several years about how the Church has failed our gay and…
Those thorny parallels between faith and addiction
By Trey Lyon Recently there was quite a dust-up among the evangelical-ish internet crowd when author Donald Miller revealed that he no longer regularly attends church. There were folks who assailed his position for any number of reasons, as well…
The ethics of Dexter Morgan
By Miguel De La Torre Dexter Morgan, the fictional character on the popular Showtime series, Dexter, is a forensic blood splatter analyst for the Miami Police homicide department. Those who watched the eight seasons (as I just binge watched) know…
High court must not rule RFRA is unconstitutional
By J. Brent Walker When the U.S. Supreme Court hears oral arguments on March 25 in the contraception case involving Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties, it will be asked to decide novel and difficult questions concerning the interpretation and…
What do we mean by ‘open’ and ‘closed’?
By Luke Smith The word “open” is increasingly used as a metaphor for a more measured, relaxed and polite, engagement with our world. In contrast, the term “closed” is a metaphor for all that is bigoted, unfairly exclusionary or simply…
Odd behavior: Nonviolence, loving enemies and the Sermon on the Mount
By Jerrod Hugenot The Revised Common Lectionary is visiting parts of the Sermon on the Mount as it guides worshippers through this year. Here’s a thought on one section of this major teaching in Matthew’s Gospel: The teaching of “do…