When our President issued his executive order giving deportation relief to millions of undocumented people in our country, as part of his explanation he quoted Scripture: “You shall not oppress a resident alien; you know the heart of an alien,…
The Banality of Evil
“Banality” is not a word that we often hear. The dictionary I consulted defines it as “the condition or quality of being banal, or devoid of freshness or originality.” “Triteness,” “staleness,” and “unimaginativeness” are synonyms for banality.
Public schools can avoid ‘War on Christmas’ tussle in school holiday calendar
Active RNS subscribers and members can view this content at the RNS Archives website. (RNS) Refusing to identify the religious reason for the days off does not solve the problem and only invites unfounded criticism of hostility to Christmas and…
Jesus is Dead and So Are We: Eric Garner is Our Only Hope for Resurrection
By Jeff Hood – Jesus is Dead and So Are We: Eric Garner is Our Only Hope for Resurrection
Why Rob Bell is a Better Evangelical than Evangelicals
A Real Magic Wand
Our five-year-old granddaughter recently shared with her parents her Christmas wish list. Leading off, was this simple request: “a REAL magic wand”. She’s serious about this. She also asked for “a real fort”. We’re enjoying watching this exchange from a…
Loving Accountability
We might think of accountability in one of three ways. A politician speaks before ravenous reporters and promises that “going forward there will be greater accountability.” We like the idea, and our community’s anger may be somewhat mollified, but deep…
Learning Lament: One Day in Ferguson
Tonight I had the opportunity to share my experience of traveling to Ferguson, MO yesterday. And as our church community made its way to worship tonight, our city was, and is, erupting in protest over the decision in Staten Island…
Holiday Interrupted
I’ve been busy with the holidays since last week. When the grand jury’s decision in Ferguson was announced, I was picking up extended family from the airport. When a local action took place in my city the next day, I…