You would be worried if your kids didn’t eventually outgrow their belief in Santa Claus. So why are you concerned that they are deconstructing their religion? Don’t get me wrong – I’m not saying that God is as fictitious as Santa Claus. What I am saying is that there’s something wrong if people don’t question the mythologies they learned as children. If you knew an adult who said with complete integrity that they believed in a “right jolly old elf”... Read more
If you go to an Evangelical Church, chances are your preacher has a few tricks up their sleeve. I’m not saying your pastor is deceptive or tricky. But within the culture of Evangelical preaching, there are certain tricks of the trade that pastors learn from their preaching mentors, who modeled their preaching after the ministers before them. Perhaps they never stopped to think about what’s behind some of the homiletical techniques that they employ. And maybe if they did, they... Read more
Was Jesus Homeless? Yes, no, and kind of. The answer is more interesting than you’d think. Jesus says in Matthew 8:20 NRSV, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” Quoting this scripture, many people claim that Jesus was homeless. In the United States, December 3 is National Roof-Over-Your-Head Day. It’s a time to be thankful if you have a place to call home. It’s also a... Read more
Some people don’t like to get their hands dirty—and I am one of them. I was the last one you would find building sandcastles as a kid. As an adult, I will gladly pay someone to change my oil. There’s something about getting my hands dirty, sticky, gritty, grimy, and greasy that grosses me out. I’m glad Jesus wasn’t like me–He got his hands dirty. What if the Church got its hands dirty like Jesus? Blood, Sweat, and Tears As a... Read more
This article’s title came from a friend’s social media post. I cringed when I read it because it reminded me of a relative who every year used to talk about buying Christmas for her family. Does this phrase, “buying Christmas,” sound wrong to you? The great prophet Dr Seuss wrote: “And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without... Read more
“Lord, I thank you that we were born in the BEST country in the world,” prayed the deacon at our church’s Thanksgiving meal. This showed me that there’s a fine line between gratitude and arrogance, between thankfulness and superiority. Why can’t we be grateful to be born into a GOOD country? What makes America the BEST country, anyway? These were things I wondered about, even before I moved to Canada. Now with an immigrant’s perspective, I see things even more... Read more
Everyone knows Elvis’ song “Blue Christmas.” Blue holidays are inevitable when someone you love is missing. Here are some holiday survival tips. Elvis’s song is still popular sixty-five years after its release because so many people can identify. Many people miss absent family members during the holidays. Military service, incarceration, business trips, prodigal children, or romantic breakups could all be to blame for your Blue Christmas without the one you love. As much as I adore the holiday season,... Read more
If you’re a minister and your church forgot Pastor Appreciation Month, you might feel frustrated and discouraged. When the work you do goes unacknowledged for long enough, you might wonder if you’re even making a difference. After a while, many pastors slip into a sense of worthlessness and depression. They might even think of resigning. In a previous article, “Pastors are Quiet Quitting the Church,” I discussed the factors that lead to pastors either resigning from their pulpits or... Read more
At my house, our Christmas decorations have been up since November 6. Are we early? Is it too early to decorate for Christmas? Liturgical Correctness Liturgical correctness tells me I’m way too early to decorate for Christmas. But technically, most of us deck the halls early. The Christmas season is from December 25 until Epiphany, January 6. This is what’s properly known as the Twelve Days of Christmas. If we want to be liturgically precise, nobody should put up a... Read more
We are in a housing crisis, with rents rising faster than wages. Here’s how the church can help. The Housing Crisis Across the country, people with little or no income find it increasingly difficult to make ends meet. Landlords are raising their prices at a rate inconsistent with people’s ability to pay. Developers aren’t keeping pace with the demand for housing. All of this results in a housing crisis that literally leaves many out in the cold. November 8 is... Read more
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