I want to start a campaign to block Donald Trump on Twitter. Not just block him, but make a commitment not to share his tweets, not to comment on them, and not to let them be the center of my universe. This is not because I want to stick my head in the sand like a privileged ostrich and ignore the bad things going on in the world that don’t impact me directly. It’s not because I’ve decided to let... Read more
We’re starting an end of the year giving campaign on GoFundMe for our campus ministry NOLA Wesley since it’s #GivingTuesday. We got feedback that some folks would be more comfortable with a one-time donation than committing to a monthly pledge (which are preferable for our long-term survival). To help you understand where we are, we need to generate about $40,000 in additional annual revenue. This figure wouldn’t be daunting if we were a congregation where 400 tithing members worshiped every... Read more
Everyone talks about that crazy uncle. I’m sure he had some rich things to say at Thanksgiving dinner last week. But what about your distraught moderate Republican aunt who is deeply troubled by the ugliness of white supremacy, fake news, and outrage culture? The one who votes against abortion not as part of a backlash against second-wave feminism but because she actually loves babies. The one who tries her best to form authentic personal relationships with the underprivileged people she... Read more
It seems like now would be a good time to go back to the basics. There are two basic ways to pray that Jesus describes in a parable about two men who went into the temple to pray (Luke 18:9-14). One man says, “I thank you God that I’m not like other people.” The other man says, “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.” I mostly pray the first prayer. Not literally. Because that would be too obvious. But too often... Read more
Popular Christian author Glennon Melton got divorced and started dating a woman. And the evangelical response has been fierce. Just like when Mark Driscoll imploded, Melton’s personal life circumstances have been deployed as a totalizing indictment against her message, which is being called a “gospel of self-fulfillment.” It’s a common culture war move that I’ve made more than once against fallen religious right heroes to tear down theologies I thought were toxic. This is what happens when you… Live your... Read more
What does it mean to obey God? For many Christians, the answer is simple: read the Bible and do what it says. The problem is that most of the Bible consists in showing us who God is rather than telling us exactly what to do. So either we ignore the vast majority of the Bible that isn’t a direct command, or we must figure out what to do from contemplating the Bible’s stories and poetry along with its laws. Most... Read more
My wife Cheryl has integrity. I often make fun of her for it. When she’s being an insufferable rule-follower, I call her a Girl Scout. I tend to be much more of a pragmatist. People who nuance and qualify everything to death irritate me. What I learned early on as a union organizer is you have to oversimplify your message if you want to build a movement. Even if the company president was a good Christian man who seemed friendly... Read more
The only positive thing about the last two weeks has been the sacred space I’ve been blessed to be a part of. The night after the election, we had a prayer gathering that fifty students attended. This past Monday, there was a protest against white supremacy attended by hundreds where several dozen students of color spoke out. On Thursday, there was a Transgender Day of Remembrance to honor the transgender people murdered in the past year where we concluded with... Read more
It does no good to scream; with one wet syllable, winter can white out your words. “Move! Move!” The ghost baton finds all the skin that it needs. “War’s not worth the weight of sleet,” shrug the trees, “Just drop your leaves and go.” The wind will not negotiate; it speaks through a bullhorn: “Don’t stop; don’t look at me; Do you want your eyes to bleed?” The snarls of ice-dogs slice through thickets of squatting families. The panic bells... Read more
In the Washington Post this week, white evangelical millennial leader Katelyn Beaty said, “I can’t defend my people. I barely recognize them.” 81% of white evangelicals voted for Donald Trump. As Trump begins to fill his leadership team with boldly open white supremacists like Steve Bannon and Kris Kobach, white evangelicals like Beaty are right to be horrified, whether or not they voted for Trump. This calls for a season of introspection, because I think the different oppressions white evangelicals... Read more
Mercy Not Sacrifice
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