Whenever I’m asked to describe my job as a professional Christian, I usually stammer something along the lines of: “I talk about God for a living.” Or, if I’m feeling especially cynical: “It’s mostly marketing, some plagiarism, and a bit…
spare your face the razor
*Author’s Note: For maximum poignancy, please listen to The Oh Hello’s The Truth is a Cave repeatedly whilst reading. You’ll thank me later. A few mornings ago, as I stood staring groggily into the poorly complected face stubbornly greeting me each…
Snake charmers
By Brett Younger If you’ve been searching for a new favorite show on television since Matthew Crawley, heir of Lord Grantham, died on Downton Abbey, then mark Sept. 10 on your calendar. That is when “Snake Salvation” debuts on the National…
Snake charmers
By Brett Younger If you’ve been searching for a new favorite show on television since Matthew Crawley, heir of Lord Grantham, died on Downton Abbey, then mark Sept. 10 on your calendar. That is when “Snake Salvation” debuts on the National…
American folk religion
When I was in college, I had the privilege of spending a couple of weeks in Mexico, on a mission trip, as a member of something called a “youth choir”. A couple of pre-emptive answers to your inevitable questions: Yes, our shirts always matched….
On-the-job training
By Amy Butler Every minister knows there could be massive tomes written on the topic, “Things I Never Learned in Seminary.” This is not because seminary faculties try to trick us by leaving some of the essentials out of the…
On-the-job training
By Amy Butler Every minister knows there could be massive tomes written on the topic, “Things I Never Learned in Seminary.” This is not because seminary faculties try to trick us by leaving some of the essentials out of the…
Churches and water balloons
Sitting in a dunking booth at a children’s water day is a wake up. Cold water splashed on me as children enjoyed hitting the target to dump water on the preacher. We raised money for a playground and we had…
Why church matters
By Amy Butler “The true alchemists do not change lead into gold,” observed American author William H. Gass. “They change the world into words.” As one who spends a lot of time trying to change the world into words –…
I had no choice but write this column
By Brett Younger Smilin’ John Calvin was born in France in 1509. Educated as a lawyer, Jean found jurisprudence too free-wheeling so he switched his affection to the church. During his ministry in Geneva, Calvin preached over 2,000 sermons. His…
In + Out: a few thoughts on breathing
Some time ago, thanks mostly to the Comcast home page usually concerning itself with tracking the intricate and myriad movements of the Kardashians, I came across an article ranking the “most stressed out” countries in the world. In the study…
Wooly + waste (or the art of nonviolent Facebook-ing)
I’ve found it quite difficult to remain internet friends with people these days (thanks mostly to the DOMA ruling, Paula Deen, and living in the Southeast around the 4th of July). Now, I do realize it can be hard to…