“The land is Mine” (the importance of Leviticus 25:23)

April 13, 2012 By Morgan Guyton

Last night, as I was looking at the passage about the year of jubilee in Leviticus, this amazing line in Leviticus 25:23 jumped out at me. It’s the justification God gives His people for redistributing all their property and freeing all their slaves every 50 years: The land is Mine, and you reside in My land as foreigners and strangers. I believe that this sentence is a paradigm for understanding the whole gospel and a potential foundation from which we... Read more

"The land is Mine" (the importance of Leviticus 25:23)

April 13, 2012 By Morgan Guyton

Considering Rick Warren’s Economic Principles

April 13, 2012 By Morgan Guyton

America’s most famous megachurch pastor Rick Warren has gotten backlash in the Prospect, Daily Kos, Huffington Post, and other places in response to an interview with ABC’s Jake Tapper where he shared his views on President Obama’s campaign for economic “fairness” in tax policy and how the government should help the poor. For what it’s worth, Warren gives 90% of his income away to charity and his church does a lot of ministries with the poor in their community. There’s... Read more

John Derbyshire & me: confessions of a fellow racist

April 11, 2012 By Morgan Guyton

John Derbyshire’s now-infamous article from last week’s Taki’s Magazine has pretty thoroughly torpedoed any claim that we live in a post-racist society by saying aloud what every white person knows to keep in our heads. For those of you who haven’t read it, it seems like its purpose is to parody “the talk” black parents describe having to give their kids about life in a world with white people who are predisposed to think less of them. Derbyshire’s mock “talk”... Read more

God’s tornadoes: when I stopped taking John Piper seriously

April 11, 2012 By Morgan Guyton

I imagine it’s no surprise that a Methodist pastor would consider the dean of the Neo-Calvinist movement, John Piper, to be a theological adversary. Followers of John Wesley and John Calvin have been arguing for centuries. But there’s a basic difference between Piper and someone like the fundamentalist rock star Pat Robertson. Robertson has said so many outlandish things that I can’t take him seriously. My only concern with Robertson is that every time he gets in the news, thousands... Read more

God's tornadoes: when I stopped taking John Piper seriously

April 11, 2012 By Morgan Guyton

In the name of the Thinktank, Consultant, & Bubble sheet

April 9, 2012 By Morgan Guyton

The United Methodist Church is about to have a very significant international meeting called the General Conference where major changes are being considered that a lot of pastors like me are anxious about. I’m actually most concerned about an initiative that has already been adopted called “Vital Congregations.” Depending on the outcome of other proposals, Vital Congregations has the potential to do to the United Methodist Church what “No Child Left Behind” did to the public school classroom where I... Read more

How do we get you back next week?

April 8, 2012 By Morgan Guyton

Let me be honest. Easter is a bittersweet holiday for me as a pastor because I shake hands with hundreds of people who I know I won’t see again until Christmas. I grew up going to church every week, so it’s hard to put myself in the head of someone who comes just for the holidays. Not judging, just sharing where I’m coming from. I was going to write a list of things we need to do as the church... Read more