Today was the day it hit home for me. This is serious. It was in an afternoon meeting with my staff team (via Zoom, of course), and my supervisor updated me on the Surgeon General’s recent warning: “This week, it's going to get bad.” Last week, things were disorienting. I was suddenly
“The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.” — Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion God is a jerk, according to
We have a problem with racialized policing in America. As Christians, we need to speak clearly about this problem, not only for the sake of justice, but also for the sake of love. I don't remember when I realized that we have a problem with policing in America. It may have been
I haven’t been sworn at very many times in my life. When it does happen, I find it unpleasant. At the most recent occurrence, I was exiting an airplane. Delayed by several hours already, I was about to miss the second connecting flight to my final destination. As we lingered in the indeterminable moment between the aircraft taxiing to a stop and the finally door opening, I stood at the ready, suitcase on my shoulder and eyes
“That’s horrible! Why would they splash a baby??” This was the reaction of my Ugandan friend from seminary when he visited our Anglican Easter vigil. He is not alone. Many throughout the world think that the practice of infant baptism is unbiblical and harmful. Why, indeed, do we dunk (or splash) babies in the waters of baptism? Isn’t this just a product of elevating tradition and abandoning Sola Scriptura? No, it’s not. In fact, infant baptism is legitimate and vitally impacts
This time of year, if you run in Christian circles, you’re apt to hear what the incarnation has to do with missions. And rightly so: “The Word Became Flesh” is such an earth-shattering, sweet truth. It merits informing our ministry strategy. “Incarnational ministry” is the traditional approach to this topic, harped on ad nauseum. It’s usually synonymous with “embodied” ministry, or models
Growing up in a Christian subculture prone to both kitsch and mnemonic devices, I was subjected early on to many cringe-worthy didactic moments. One shining example was a motivational poster on the wall that asked, “Do you have an attitude of gratitude?” The subtext seemed to be, “We know how to make
Death can be unthinkable. Some time ago, I was seated behind a young friend of mine in small evening worship service. Her mother had recently received a late-stage diagnosis of a serious illness. I was heart-worn already that day, and my usual shields set up against imagining tragedy slipped. Her youthful frame
The blazing, burning center of the Biblical story is God. The story of the Bible does not ultimately revolve around us; it ultimately revolves around God. The point of the Bible is not God’s love for humanity, or God’s intention for our good. The point is this: God is the Melody in
On an apple-picking trip one brisk October, I learned of the glories of the giant rubber band potato launcher. Not to be confused with its more ambitious cousin the potato cannon, the giant rubber band potato launcher is a satisfyingly analog ballistic endeavor. A small
