As the world watched a historic hurricane pummel the Southeast on their news screens, I perched on the top stair of my house, measuring tape extended into a dark abyss of storm surge that filled the lower level of my…
I live in North Carolina and see FEMA’s presence every day
In the summer of 2016, I was serving on staff at a large United Methodist Church in downtown Raleigh, N.C., while attending Duke University Divinity School. One day I walked into the senior pastor’s office to speak to him on…
Ye shall know the truth, and?
On Thursday, Oct. 2, I exited the Winston-Salem Costco with products purchased for home and the storm-ravaged North Carolina mountains. At that moment, a man and a woman were loading a large pickup truck parked next to my car with…
Bullshit
In 1916, a 26-year-old Darley Hiden Ramsey submitted a motto for the newly commissioned town seal of Asheville, N.C. His choice, levavi oculos meos in montes, “I lift my eyes to the hills” was taken from Psalm 121. Scholars consider…
Talking about politics
“No one is talking about politics.” I saw this assessment of the communities responding to the utter devastation of Hurricane Helene and noted the takeaway was people could put aside differences in crisis. Being able to work together despite differences…
First Baptist Erwin, Tenn., among those hard-hit by Helene
Like many congregations affected by Hurricane Helene and its remnants, First Baptist Church of Erwin, Tenn., emerged from the storm determined to do whatever it could to help its battered community. But even as they jumped headlong into fundraising and…
Megan Basham is lying again
Many of us keep wondering how the evangelical church could have wandered so far into the wilderness of untruth. The answer is evangelical influencers like Megan Basham. She’s not alone, however. She’s in a select group of evangelical liars that…
Looking for God in the midst of the storm
The wind was rushing so strong that it sounded like someone left water running outside as I woke up early last Friday morning. When our kids found their way through the dark house to our room, we looked out the…
Disasters bring out the best and worst theology
In response to a social media post in which I updated friends and family on our condition immediately after Hurricane Helene, a well-meaning cousin wrote, “God was really truly with you all to keep you safe amidst all this chaos…