We are all learning how to hate. That is to say, we are all being taught everyday how to hate. I’m serious. Maybe more than at any other time in my lifetime members of our society are fully engaged learners in the art of hating our neighbor. We live in an era of enemies. Every day powerful forces in our society attempt to stoke our innate fear and anger, and they offer us someone to blame—someone to hate. I’m sorry... Read more
During the Civil War both sides of the conflict were convinced that God was on their side. Both saw their cause as righteous. Both prayed to God for vindication. Time and history have shown God was on the side of the North, and not simply because they won the war. God was on the side of the North because of slavery. God will not stand idly by while whole races of human beings are not properly valued. We might want... Read more
Tom Petty taught me what Rock and Roll was all about. I think I was in 7th grade when I bought Damn the Torpedoes (on 8 track). That low-strung guitar & high voice (like mine). I sang along for untold hours. Awhile back, Tom Petty was asked in an interview why he always played every single hit in their concerts. Didn’t he get tired of playing those same songs over and over? His answer was something like if it was my... Read more
Don’t get used to this violence. This not how it has to be. Don't tune it out. Don't try to distract or numb yourself. We have to bear witness to what happened. Read more
What if they kneel because we're not listening? What if they kneel because it's the only way they could get our attention? Read more
The most powerful religion in the Western world is no longer Christianity. It is economics. It can actually be quite instructive to consider economics not as a science or sociology but as a religion, complete with doctrines, priests, and constant references to faith. So says John Rapley in his essay from The Guardian last July. “Think about it. Economics offers a comprehensive doctrine with a moral code promising adherents salvation in this world; an ideology so compelling that the faithful remake whole societies to conform... Read more
What can neuroscience teach us about how to read the Bible? Read more
When I listen to Rich Mullins’ music (and I still listen), he makes me want to go camping. It’s weird, I know, but it always seems like I could more easily imagine the world he imagined if I were off in the woods somewhere … and I really want to imagine the world that he imagined. During his concerts Rich used to joke that his fans really think he lived on the edge of rivers lighting campfires (the cover of... Read more
There’s a theory that contends politicians don’t lead the culture. Politicians reflect the culture. Washington isn’t leading so much as following what they see in us. I keep having these conversations with people in which they trash politicians. At the mere mention of Trump or Pelosi or Washington they immediately wash their hands of all personal responsibility and run down the politicians. It’s Schumer, McConnell, Pelosi, and Ryan–they are the problem. What a bunch of snakes. It’s time to face reality: Our... Read more
“What came first: the music or the misery?” – Nick Hornby I cut my vocational teeth as a musician, part of the band Satellite Soul who was signed to Ardent/Forefront. Where label-mates like Skillet, DC Talk, and Newsboys were exceedingly successful, my band was always critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful. I’ve always wondered why. A few weeks ago I was listening to Malcolm Gladwell’s podcast, Revisionist History. The episode is called “The King of Tears.” In it Gladwell tells the story of... Read more
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