Just a few days ago, an 18-year-old man with special needs was abducted in Chicago. Two 18-year-old men and two 18-year-old women proceeded to tie him up and tape his mouth shut. After taking him to a secure location, the four abductors turned on Facebook Live. After they had an online audience, they beat him for over 30-minutes. One even took a knife and scalped part of his head. Throughout the beating, the four black abductors hurled racial epitaphs... Read more
The group sat down close to me. I knew one of them was an evangelical. The cheese gave it away. Needing to get work done, I tried to ignore them. I was successful for a while. Then, I heard a question that has always haunted me. “Do you want to get saved?” Wanting to be sure, I bet I have gotten saved tens of thousands of times. I leaned in to hear what the evangelical’s two pupils were going... Read more
In the midst of their journey to meet the child of God, the wise folks stopped by to see King Herod. Pretending to be excited about the birth, Herod asks the wise folks to come back by and tell him where the child is so that he might exalt the child. Herod was afraid that the child would rise up and challenge his rule. After meeting Jesus, the wise folks were warned to not go back to Herod. When... Read more
On Christmas Day, I spent time with my grandmother. We’ve always been close, but this year she didn’t even know who I was. Dementia has taken all of her memories. At one point, I looked over and saw my grandmother talking to a plastic bag. I scooted over to hear what she was saying. When I got close enough, I heard, “God, I didn’t realize you were going to make it today.” Initially, I laughed at the absurdity of... Read more
An Interpretation of the Christmas Story In the days of Texas Governor Greg Abbott, there was an old minister named Bob whose partner was named Tommy. For many years, the couple had wanted a child and now they were old. One evening as Bob was alone praying for a child, a bright light came over him. Standing and turning, Bob tried to run away. The light would not let Bob go. In that moment, the light began... Read more
Earlier today, Turkish police officer Melvut Mert Altinua walked into an art exhibition in Ankara and perused the art. A few minutes after Russian Ambassador Andrey Karlov started speaking about Turkish-Russian relations, Altinua fired multiple shots that sliced through Karlov’s body. Frantically waving a gun, Altunua gave praise to Allah and declared, “Do not forget Aleppo!” The Russian government has been extremely instrumental in defending the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The entire shooting was captured on video.... Read more
The Christmas season always makes me ponder a pivotal question. Did God send Jesus to die? I’m not talking about a death of natural causes. I’m talking about a brutal painful death. I’m talking about a bloody murder. Did God know about the suffering that was to come? If God knows everything, as traditional Christian doctrine teaches, then the answer is yes. God sent Jesus to take the crown of thorns. God sent Jesus to be beaten to the... Read more
“The God beyond God.” Paul Tillich’s infamous conception of God has long marinated in my heart. I’ve dreamed of the God beyond religion and occasionally touched something more. Tillich is not alone in his estimations of God. In 36:26, Job declares, “Surely God is great, and we do not know him…” The unknowability of God is an important part of true faith. If we were to have complete knowledge of God, there would be no reason for belief…we would just... Read more
Earlier today, a jury found Dylann Roof guilty of killing 9 people at the Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. An avowed white supremacist, Roof admitted that he killed the churchgoers because they were black. Seeking to ignite a race war, Roof wanted to be a savior for white people. Now, the punishment phase of the trial will determine whether or not Roof faces the death penalty. For the first few months, I prayed daily for the victims... Read more
Throughout the last few months, numerous leaders in our country have made wild claims that have been proven to have no grounding in reality. There is also the proliferation of fake news that has motivated numerous people to do a variety of things. All around us untruths are taken as fact. Those who challenge these claims are considered dangerous enemies worthy of violent reprisals. Take the case of Edgar Welch. After reading a fake news story claiming that Hillary... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In