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…
Evangelical activists call Christians to ‘ruffle feathers’ with boldness, guts, courage, audacity
Jesus told his disciples to love their neighbors and modeled how to do so. The Apostle Paul said love is a fruit of the Spirit. Today, some evangelical activists say they have a better idea: Believers should “ruffle feathers” with…
‘Who is my neighbor?’
Over the past two weeks, the Trump/Vance campaign has spoken often about an influx of Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, and proffered the outrageous claim that these immigrants are stealing and eating the pets of white Springfield citizens. Despite a…
Are we still calling him the ‘Good’ Samaritan?
We have known the Parable of the Good Samaritan most of our lives. Yet that phrase is not Scripture. Editors of our Bible translations inserted it at the top of the parable as a helpful aid to our study. So,…
The good graduate student: A modern parable
This past Sunday was beautiful. After a wonderful worship service, many of us walked downtown for Williamsburg’s PrideCon, an annual event put on by Love is Love Tidewater. It was a welcoming environment where people felt safe and free to…
Evangelical group teaches churches to prioritize politics
Churches wanting to influence their communities through politics rather than evangelism and ministries can watch Tuesday’s free Community Impact Training livestream from the Family Research Council, the sister organization of Focus on the Family, which first created the training in…
Who is my neighbor? Reflecting theologically on the migrant crisis
“Who is my neighbor?” The expert of the law, the one whose job it was to study Scriptures, asked Jesus this question in Luke 10. Of course, the expert probably knew the answer. He knew the original languages and pored…
Beware: The chapter and verse divisions and the internal commentary in English Bibles may fail us
The familiar division of the Bible into chapters and verses helps us locate our Scriptures of interest. Yet, it took 1,200 to 1,500 years before translators and publishers put them there; and, thankfully so. However, like dishwashers, iPhones and all…
Where’s our Good Samaritan today?
Nothing says Christianity like the story of the Good Samaritan. This story captures who we are, what we are to do and how we are to treat all others. Some people say Jesus is the Good Samaritan and we are…