“If you really had the fire of Christ in you, you would do everything in your power to share this.” Such language is common in evangelical churches, with the “this” referring to the hope of salvation through Jesus Christ. But…
These are some of the best pastors I know
Upon three different walls, I’ve hung my grandfather’s long gun. It first rested above a purple-painted fireplace in our home in North Carolina. When we moved to Vermont, it found a new residency in the parsonage’s dining room. Now in…
National Prayer Breakfast gets new sponsorship but still looks like government-sponsored religion, BJC leaders say
Congressional leaders say they have split the National Prayer Breakfast from its longtime organizer to bring clarity and healing to the annual event, but constitutional experts Amanda Tyler and Holly Hollman believe government leaders should get out of the prayer…
Our obsession with true crime dramas and what ‘Dahmer’ teaches us about heaven and hell
One of the biggest trends in entertainment today is true crime dramas about serial killers. Forbes reported in 2020 that it was a “great year for fictional serial killers.” And now, two years later, our fascination with mass murder is continuing, but…
In a three-way scheme, hustlers sell Netflix access to the faithful in Zimbabwe using American bank cards and government office Wi-Fi
Netflix is angry about account sharing, seeing the practice as an unfair, under-the-table raid of its revenue. But in devout, fiercely Pentecostal Zimbabwe — where joblessness is deep and inflation is, according to John Hopkins University, at a frightening 487%…
Four truths from ‘The Gospel According to Stranger Things’
My wife and I are huge fans of the Netflix series Stranger Things. We’ve watched all the episodes, usually more than once, and we always watch them as soon as they’re released. Honestly, the show is one of the main…
‘Our Father’: A quiverfull of racism and anti-reproductive rights
“Quiverfull” is a word I recently learned via the vast educational network of Netflix. “Quiverfull” is a Christian theological position concerning mass reproduction, meaning how many children a man can create. Please hear me. I mean no offense to any…
Don’t keep sweet: Why white Christians need to celebrate Juneteenth
One of the top documentaries on Netflix right now is Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey. It’s about the FLDS, the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, who once were in Utah and then in Texas. If you were…
New Netflix docuseries highlights the wisdom of our elders
“To walk toward the future, the past is needed.” That nugget of wisdom from Pope Francis describes in a sentence the mission behind Stories of a Generation, a four-part Netflix documentary series set for release on Christmas Day. The docuseries…