In recent weeks, BNG published two pieces that emerge from a similar progressive theological position. The first is Mark Wingfield’s “Here’s What I Hear When You Say You’re A ‘Purple’ Church.” The second is Braxton Wade’s “Why Are We Still…
Here’s what I hear when you say you’re a ‘purple’ church
A fair number of churches these days are proud of being called “purple” churches, meaning they welcome and celebrate both Republicans and Democrats among their members. That may have been fine in 1990 but means something entirely different today. Now,…
Training bold prophets: A conversation with Shonda Jones
What are the religious and racial aspects of liberating U.S. democracy from authoritarianism? A recent conference at United Lutheran Seminary in Philadelphia addressed this question. En route to the conference, I saw a social media post quoting conservative commentator Megan…
What your pastor says this Sunday matters very much
I’m not usually one to say, “If your pastor doesn’t say X about Y this Sunday, then you should leave your church.” I usually encourage talking with your pastor, helping your pastor and fellow layfolks see the perspective you’re bringing…
What advice would my grandfather give a pastor today?
My grandfather Stigall was a walking quote. A man who, by intention or by divine gift, could lay down a zinger with little effort. His thoughts and expressions came out in eruptions. Held in for as long as he could,…
‘Cloistering’ is not the answer to America’s great divide, Burge says
U.S. society will continue to fragment into ever-shrinking political and religious clusters as long as Americans continue to shun those with different perspectives, sociologist of religion Ryan Burge said in a Denver Seminary podcast. The trend has been highly visible…
Here’s HELP for navigating a ‘purple’ church in an election year
In every election year, pastors face the reality of political conflict and tension in their congregations. This year is that and more. For 20 years, I served as pastor of what some call a “purple” church — a mixture of…
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 color chart teaches us about surviving in a ‘purple’ church
What follows is a real-life, real-time text report coming to me last Sunday morning from a young adult I know who was in attendance at one of the largest Southern Baptist churches in America. Please keep in mind, this was…
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…
Divisions over abortion and other life and death issues: the problem is not purple churches
When faith leaders lament the difficulty of keeping Republicans and Democrats together in the same church, they miss the bigger issue.