I’ve been watching various corporations, universities, NGOs and non-profits respond to the demands of the Boycott, Divest & Sanctions (BDS) movement. The stated goal of the BDS movement is to apply political and economic pressure on the State of Israel in order to “encourage” the two-state solution, but there are a whole lot of people involved in the movement who appear to wish to boycott, divest, and sanction Israel right off the map. Some of them might be in your workplace or... Read more
This post is part of the Patheos conversation around the topic of recovery from traumatic church experiences in conjunction with Reba Riley’s just-released memoir, Post-Traumatic Church Syndrome: A Memoir Of Humor & Healing. I’m a survivor of spiritual abuse and a veteran of a few churches with epic levels of dysfunction breeding like a supervirus just under their shiny surface. I’ve written a lot about this topic in this space (here, here, and here, for starters). It would have been easier... Read more
More than 7 million Americans lost their homes to foreclosure or short sale between 2007 and 2014. Three years ago, my husband and I became of them. And like the housing market, despite much improvement, we’re still recovering. While we hear far less about the real estate crash that’s not so far behind us, it has left a permanent mark on many communities. Decreased property values lower municipal tax revenues, which lead to cuts in services. Stressed municipal services and underserved schools... Read more
This summer has brought a series of stunning videos from the Center For Medical Progress to our computer screens. These unfiltered videos highlight the secondary business of the selling of baby body parts after an abortion has been performed. They’re barbaric and gruesome, and all of the spin in the world `splainin’ away the cavalier talk by Planned Parenthood execs of Lamborgini purchases and how to get the most money out of each aborted child’s body parts doesn’t erase the hideous truth... Read more
We’ve underestimated the presence of grace among us. We’ve built up a callus over it with our cynicism and the religious certainties that render us incapable of being surprised. If we’re to wait, we must relearn the extravagance of grace. – Sue Monk Kidd I’ve been blogging my way through Sue Monk Kidd’s 1990 book about midlife, When The Heart Waits: Spiritual Direction For Life’s Sacred Questions. Click here to read earlier posts in the series. This chapter focuses on getting... Read more
One of my favorite questions to ask both old friends and new acquaintances alike is “What book or books are you reading right now?” I’ll share the contents of my current pile of books, and I’d love it if you’d share the title of a book or two you’re reading (or have read recently). If you’ve read more than half of it, please add a thought or two about what you’re enjoying – or not. I’m always looking for more great... Read more
(This post is part of the Patheos “Why I Am Still An Evangelical” conversation.) My four decades in the Evangelical world has been a pilgrim’s road trip. I came to faith in 1974 in the waning days of the Jesus Movement, and have since swum laps in a variety of different streams within Evangelicalism: fundamentalist, second- and third-wave Charismatic, conservative and progressive non-denominational congregations, house churches, Messianic Jewish congregations*, and local churches with a strong Evangelical flavor that were part of... Read more
We may be in the dog days of summer, but this year’s record rains have made this season more of a wet puppy where I live. Though it’s late July, the back-to-school commercials are already saturating the airwaves. Our calendars may tell us a new year starts on January 1, but there is a “new year” feeling about early September for many of us, isn’t there? Recently, I finished edits on my book for NavPress about the calendars that shape our... Read more
How do you spend your social capital in your church? Have you ever stopped to take stock of your relationships and influence? I’ve found few with positional or social authority in a church ever consider what they possess. Instead, we count what we lack. I’ve known pastors who believe they’re outsiders in their own church. I’ve known members of cliques in a congregation who are tone-deaf to the way in which their closed circle excludes others. Too many of us measure our... Read more
When it comes to event planning, I am a person who loves a themed event. Think a pirate party for a five year-old boy, complete with pirate-themed games, a cake that looks like a ship, and eye patches for all the mateys. My love of themed-events played well when I was planning and producing church services. If you gave me a sermon series topic, I’d look for songs, videos, readings and other service elements that supported the theme. Since the sermon... Read more
Pilgrim's Road Trip
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In