*I created the above hand depiction of the thoughts of this article. I refused to engage. The finer points of theology have never been all that interesting to me. Then, an argument about hell bubbled up. The liberals argued that hell didn’t exist. The conservatives declared that hell was central to our faith. I’d had enough. Rising, I said, “To declare that hell is central to our faith is to deny the redemptive work of Jesus. To deny that... Read more
Earlier today in St. Louis, dozens of protestors interrupted Donald Trump and shut down his campaign event for over ten minutes. Tonight, the scene was so chaotic in Chicago that Trump canceled his rally. Watching the chaos unfold, I didn’t have to think about where Jesus would be. The hate that has regularly flowed out of Trump makes him a very similar figure to the Pharisees of Jesus’ day. Instead of worrying about the consequences, Jesus confronted hate and... Read more
There is no greater love than laying down your life for your friends. Jesus didn’t mince words in John 15:13. Over the past few days, I’ve thought about what such words of sacrifice mean in a contemporary context. Then, I made the mistake of thinking about most of the pastors I know. I can only think of one or two who would take their call to follow Jesus seriously enough to give their life for their congregants. The rest... Read more
“The only way to follow Jesus is to go to all nations. Once there, we will realize that we have arrived at a place beyond all nations.” References to nations exist throughout scripture. In perhaps the most famous verse of all, Jesus told his followers to go and make disciples of “all nations” (Matt 28:19). When I look around the world today, I see the consequences of our constructions of nations. National borders divide people. National borders keep... Read more
“Seek God.” In Matthew 6:33, we are told, “But seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Instead of worrying about what is going to be given to us, I think it’s best for us to, “Seek God.” Amen. Read more
“Would politicians kill Jesus again?” While I’m sure the world was different then, the leaders who killed Jesus functioned like politicians. Down through the centuries, people have blamed the death of Jesus on religion. I don’t think like that. The death of Jesus was about power. The politicians who killed Jesus manipulated the crowds to remove an obstacle. For the last few months, I’ve watched our politicians in action. The wild scramble for power is scary. Would they... Read more
“God didn’t destroy the world in a flood.” When I was a child, I struggled to believe that God destroyed the world in a flood. I just didn’t find it plausible. The God that I knew and loved would never do such a thing. Now that I have left childish struggles behind and embraced the transformative power of love, I can say with deep assurance, “God didn’t destroy the world in a flood.” Amen. Read more
Twins How could it happen again? We just had sex and now there is 2 More that is The birth wouldn’t arrive I’ll never forget walking your mom in the hallways Beauty is often slow to begin Lucas came fast I loved you from the moment I looked into your eyes You were a one of a kind surprise Madeleine delayed Mom lost blood and scared me to no end You arrived in the operating room For a moment I... Read more
*There were some concerns from the folks at the CBF about my first posting of this post that led to some censorship. In response, I wanted to make sure that I published the uncensored extended version here. “Our church voted to leave the Southern Baptist Convention this past Sunday.” Overhearing Charlie’s comment, I immediately replied, “Why did y’all do something dumb like that?” Even though our whispers were escalating, we hadn’t yet caught the attention of our history teacher, Mr.... Read more
“The Old Testament is often no testament to the love of God.” How many times have you read pieces of the Old Testament and thought it’s describing a God you don’t know? I struggled with this for so long. Finally, I made a decision that I believed that God is love. Love doesn’t do some of the shit that the fake God does in numerous parts of the Old Testament. I believe in Love. Amen. Read more
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