Christian churches in the United States often take advantage of national holidays to communicate particular theological points. For example, Memorial Day and Veterans Day provide opportunities to celebrate the idea of Jesus sacrificing his life on the Cross for spiritual…
Impressions while worshiping in God’s cathedral
While I sat in an old oak grove early Sunday morning, a time in my life replayed, bringing memories of working with consultants to raise funds for building churches. My thoughts drifted back to the 1980s when seven area congregations…
Christians and climate change: A chance to take the Bible seriously
My wife might tell you that I seem more comfortable than most in staking out a confrontational, or even controversial, position and then defending it as if I were in a bare-knuckled brawl with my life at stake. It’s hard…
From purity pledges to the Equality Act: How evangelical concern about sex has shifted and what it has to do with creation
When more than 200,000 evangelical purity pledges were being planted at the National Mall in 1994 at the height of the True Love Waits movement, nobody would have imagined that the next 25 years would bring about a total revolution…
God says it: You are good enough
I currently lead a national book club of approximately 60 LGBTQ people, parents, pastors and allies — all of whom are in various stages of deconstruction. We seek to cultivate safe community with one another in a private space so…
On Earth Day: Let’s walk on water together
The Apostle Peter may seem an odd subject choice for a message about Earth Day, but hear me out on this one. I always have felt a special affinity with Peter. He is the disciple of Jesus who seemed to…
Finding sabbath in a hammock
As a pastor, the practice of sabbath is especially challenging. Sunday (the day most Protestants observe a Sabbath of sorts) is full of work-related service opportunities as a pastor. Preaching and teaching the Bible, leading in prayer, committee meetings, ensuring…
Here’s something to try on for size: Talk about things that are ‘more-than-human’
In our world of ecological precarity, I’ve been exploring what it would mean to move beyond doing environmental justice, to living in a different relationship with beings beyond the human. I think about this relationship both with those beings we…
America, we’ve got to address the source of the pressure, not just the steam it puts off
While I’m not a psychotherapist or anywhere close to an expert in family systems theory, I’m finding some clarity in applying what little I do know to our current societal predicaments. It goes something like this: Pressure begins to build…