By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. -John 13:35 Will people know we are Christians (disciples or followers of Jesus) by our verbalized theological beliefs? Will they know we are Christians by the way we vote? Will they know we are Christians by the church we are members of or attend? Will they know because we “witness” or share our faith? Will they know because we don’t drink, dance,... Read more
We are coming to the end of March, which happens to be Oscar month. For those who care, many gather to watch who wins best picture and the other categories pertinent to movie making. If one is a cinephile, it’s a special month for sure. For those who watch the Turner Classic Movie channel, in March of each year, they run movies that have won best picture throughout the decades. If one has an affinity for the cinematic arts, it’s... Read more
The next bogeyman the leaders of the white fundamentalist-evangelical world are ready to foist upon their flocks and the rest of us is “pluralism.” Such a scary word, right? Like “Critical Race Theory” (CTR), “socialism,” and other things they don’t understand, get ready for “pluralism” to join the long list of things we are supposed to be afraid of, be against, and is a clear sign we are in the Last Days and everything is going to hell in a... Read more
When I read stories like this one, it leads me as a Christian to this question: Who would Jesus serve? In John’s Gospel (John 2) we read that Jesus turned water into wine at a wedding. Pretty cool, right? You know what’s even cooler? He didn’t ask if the people he knew he would be providing this service to, the ones imbibing, were gay. And, for that matter, whether they were…anything. In the other Gospel narratives we read of Jesus... Read more
I want to speak to a certain type of evangelical pastor. This pastor spends a great deal of time in study, reading commentaries, reading their Bible, and preparing their sermons and Bible studies. While they pay attention to pop-culture, what’s new in music, television, movies, sports, and social media, they pay little attention (or none) to politics or the serious conversations surrounding the legal, political, and foreign policy issues discussed in academia or in established media like the New York... Read more
There are times when it is prudent and wise to say things like, “Yes, I agree with you, but I can also see the other side’s points as well—and I think I could go either way here.” Or “Both sides make compelling arguments and I think we need to be careful before we come down on one side or the other.” There are certainly moments when we should sit back, consider all opposing views, and with reflection, counsel, research, fairness/objectivity,... Read more
Correct, that title was mostly to get your attention. Yes, hate is a strong word and used too often for my liking and often simply because of political or cultural disagreements. And clearly, I’m not talking about all evangelicals. Okay? Can we just get all that out of the way and move on? Great. I do however think many white evangelicals/fundamentalists, especially that 81% who voted for Trump, deeply dislike (better?) America, as it is now, as to people in... Read more
Absolutely they should. I suspect some of you, to that answer, may be thinking or saying out loud right now: “Isn’t that obvious?” Well, one would think. However, if you, like I, grew up in the Christian fundamentalist/evangelical world of the 70s and 80s, then it wasn’t so obvious an answer to that question. Sadly, for the kids who grew up in those decades (and others—but I’m focusing on my own time-frame) they were told quite often they shouldn’t listen... Read more
I’m reluctant to comment on the recent Supreme Court ruling, wherein both Roe and Casey were overturned, meaning the Court deemed there was nothing in the Constitution granting a right to an abortion. We are now in a situation where abortion will be legal in some states but not others. I’m reluctant because I’m a man. I will never face what a woman has to face when it comes to pregnancy. Part of me thinks that every man, right now,... Read more
As I’ve stated before, I was raised up in Southern Baptist churches, the convention (SBC), educated at one of their seminaries and was lead pastor of one of their (autonomous) churches. Even though I’m no longer a part of that world/tradition, I still care about the SBC given my history. In fact, much of my time in that world was spent with some truly wonderful people. Even though my mind and heart could no longer inhabit that tradition, I still... Read more
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