I feel like I’ve read endless analyses and articles on this moment we’re in. An essay on the exponential growth rate of infection and the efficacy of stay-at-home orders. Ten tips for working at home. Handwashing methods. How to postpone your wedding due to COVID-19. Projections on potential timelines of this pandemic to try to inform when to postpone that wedding to exactly. Lots and lots of takes about “the silver lining” of the pandemic. Righteous anger at the current... Read more
I’ve been a pastor my entire adult life. I’ve never seen anything like the issues related to COVID-19. Who has? Pastors and ministry people are in overdrive right now. Our lives are built around connection. Most of us have a “the door is always open” ethic. What do we do when the doors are locked? I love ministry people and the selfless work you do. I’m not sure who among you needs to hear this, but here goes: cut yourself... Read more
It’s election season – in all of its chaos and frenzy. And like clockwork, some are asking the question: “Who should ‘real’ Christians vote for?” In our current frenetic climate, depending on how I answer this question, some will either love me or hate me. Cancel me or celebrate me. Demonize me or praise me. One might already be speculating about my personal politics or leanings: “Eugene, are you a Republican or Democrat? Are you conservative or liberal?” My answer?... Read more
Is God male? Reading about God in the English Bible, we might think so—we can’t even talk about him without using an exclusively male pronoun. And yet we know that God is Spirit, not constrained by human limitations and characteristics. Still, our language, by necessity, is. Monolingual Scripture Studies Many Christians spend a lot of time studying the Bible. For the English-speaking faithful, this means: we explore the words of scripture in our favorite Bible translation, we compare different passages... Read more
In the end, the Bible is about you, and me, and all of creation in all of our messy glory, and sex is part of that package. Read more
I stepped up to the pulpit to say the words I spoke every week: “Good Morning! Welcome to White Bluff Methodist Church.” Except this day when I opened mouth nothing came out. Instead of speaking, I began gasping for breath. I found myself gripping the sides of the pulpit to steady myself from overwhelming dizziness. It was a Sunday morning at 11 a.m. and I was having a panic attack in the pulpit. Read more
In the decades since Jesus Christ Superstar came out, a tension has developed in American Christianity. Superstar Christianity downplays strict adherence to Christian teachings. The alternative seems to miss its essence. Mainline Protestants, though, are well-positioned to help, if they learn the right lessons. Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In