As drenched as I am in unmerited privilege — as a white, heterosexual, male, American citizen of above-average means — I know I am placed at much less personal risk than many of my neighbors by Donald Trump’s election. That…
United Methodists seek kindness in U.S. election season
Hundreds of United Methodists across the United States mobilized in August in community efforts to bring kindness, civility and community into the fractious U.S. presidential election season. Motivated in part by their own experiences of division as well as the…
Building bridges in a divided world: 7 ways to cultivate unity
In a world that is increasingly divided, followers of Jesus can be proactive and intentional about building bridges over the chasm of our differences. Our faith calls us to be peacemakers, to love our neighbors and to cultivate unity in…
Jesus gets us, but almost none of us get him
After several days reflection, I’m going to weigh in on the “He Gets Us” Super Bowl ad debate. And I’m going to turn this debate slightly, and suggest the following insight: If you want to understand what it’s like to…
The whole gospel of God for a church and nation in crisis
In a piercingly truthful and honest op-ed in The New York Times titled “What Christian Nationalism Has Done to My State And My Faith Is A Sin,” Susan Stubson, a prominent Wyoming Republican, for whom her conservative politics and her…
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…
What The Great British Baking Show teaches us about life and politics
A new season of The Great British Baking Show just hit Netflix, meaning 10 episodes of brand-new bakes are in our future. Like everyone else with good taste, I love The Great British Baking Show. I love the polite and…
Concern for our nation at Bubba-Doo’s
“Pastor, I just don’t understand how we got here.” Now if you feel like you just dropped in on a conversation that had already started, that’s understandable. Let me catch you up on a fascinating chat I participated in the…
Moving from trauma to action
I was talking with someone very close to me recently who said something important I want to share: Our country has so many things going wrong, so many things really to feel ashamed about in a way, that it seems…