What I would have to see from John Kasich to support him

Last updated on: March 30, 2016 at 1:33 pm By Morgan Guyton

Let’s say the unthinkable happens this July in Cleveland at the Republican National Convention and the Republican elites are somehow able to pull off a coup (without getting massacred by gun-toting Donald Trump supporters) in order to give their nomination to their only remaining candidate who can win in the general election, John Kasich. I’ve often wondered if a moderate Republican like Kasich would be better able to accomplish what I’d like to see happen than a triangulating New Democrat... Read more

How I decided not to drink anymore

Last updated on: March 29, 2016 at 2:25 pm By Morgan Guyton

Every Lent for the past five years, I’ve given up alcohol. Usually part of the celebration of Easter involves having a glass of red wine at 12:01 am or a mimosa at lunch after church. But not this year. On Tuesday morning, March 16th, after I got home from dropping the kids off at school, God invited me to stop drinking. I emailed a friend right away because I didn’t want to back out. Now I’m writing a blog post... Read more

Crazy like me: A Holy Week Execution

Last updated on: March 22, 2016 at 12:40 pm By Morgan Guyton

[The following guest-post is from Jeff Hood, a death penalty activist and author in Dallas, Texas. Visit Jeff’s blog for more of his writing!] Walking home that night, I knew something wasn’t right. Paranoia filled my brain. Panic filled my heart. Anxiety filled my stomach. Danger was everywhere. In the darkness, someone kept whispering my name. I begged them to stop. They laughed at me. No one was there. Closing my eyes, I raced down the sidewalk. Repeatedly, I felt... Read more

Pre-order How Jesus Saves The World From Us!!!

Last updated on: March 8, 2016 at 7:18 pm By Morgan Guyton

I’m excited to announce that my first book, How Jesus Saves the World From Us: 12 Antidotes To Toxic Christianity, is available for pre-order on Amazon. It will release April 18th, 2016. I’m super grateful for everyone’s support! I hope that this book will contribute to the movement of so many American Christians who really want to represent Jesus better. The following are the endorsements I’ve received for my book so far. Powerful. Provocative. And true. Morgan Guyton makes the startling and... Read more

Guest post: What if the prodigal son had Xanax?

Last updated on: March 2, 2016 at 11:58 pm By Morgan Guyton

[This guest post is from Steve Austin. Steve Austin is a family man, writer, speaker, and advocate of second chances. A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Steve blogs regularly at www.iamsteveaustin.com You can also connect with Steve at www.facebook.com/graceismessy.] Anxiety has been my constant companion for as long as I can remember. For several years, I lived under a cloud of shame because of it. I believed I would never find true belonging if anyone knew the real issues I faced on... Read more

Ash Wednesday: repentance and solidarity with the crucified

Last updated on: February 9, 2016 at 4:37 pm By Morgan Guyton

Ashes to Go. It’s the latest trend in the mainline Protestant church for celebrating Ash Wednesday. Pastors get up early in the morning to stand in front of their churches with a black thumb while their parishioners drive through and get their foreheads stamped with a smudgy cross on the way to work. I’m doing it this Ash Wednesday on Tulane’s campus under the Stern breezeway where I give out donuts and hot tea every Wednesday morning. Some of my fellow... Read more

A Lenten Fast of #EmbodiedSolidarity and #TrueReconciliation

Last updated on: February 9, 2016 at 4:16 pm By Morgan Guyton

[My friend Alicia Crosby asked me to share her call to action for a Fast of #EmbodiedSolidarity and #TrueReconciliation this Lent in response to the Larycia Hawkins situation. Alicia is a co-founder of the Center for Inclusivity in Chicago, IL, whose vision is to be “a place of peace at the intersection of faith, gender, and sexuality.” Please get connected with the Center for Inclusivity and support their important work of reconciliation and justice.] I, like many of you, have... Read more

Mardi Gras, Psalm 150, and the search for an authentic hallelujah

Last updated on: February 7, 2016 at 7:07 pm By Morgan Guyton

Hallelujah. I’ve been suspicious of that word my whole life. It means “Praise the Lord!” in Hebrew. Every time we say it, we are making a command to ourselves and everyone in earshot. It seems irredeemably stilted and churchy, a word that we say in order to speak correctly about God and show everyone else how appropriately thankful we are. There’s definitely a version of hallelujah that is the pious posturing of people who spend most of their lives scowling... Read more

Christian salvation and the Beatitudes #4: The pure in heart

Last updated on: February 6, 2016 at 1:04 pm By Morgan Guyton

Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. This beatitude is everything. It captures the goal of contemplative Christian spirituality. It tells us the one thing that truly matters in life and what needs to happen for us to experience it. Even the most rationalistic, anti-mystical, fundamentalist Christians recognize that the words “heaven” and “hell” signify whether or not we experience communion with God. To “see” God is everything. Whenever you’ve have a glimpse or a taste,... Read more

Water To Wine: the salvation of a megachurch pastor

Last updated on: February 5, 2016 at 5:51 pm By Morgan Guyton

For the past several years, Brian Zahnd has been like an abbott to me. Every week, I listen to his sermon podcasts as part of my spiritual rhythm of life. Brian’s book Beauty Will Save the World completely changed my life. Brian has been on a journey from what he calls the “easy cheesy cotton-candy Christianity” he originally used to build his evangelical megachurch to a much richer, contemplative, sacramental Christian faith. Brian’s new book Water To Wine is a story... Read more