NC High Schooler, Kalei Wilson by Mark Sandlin Kalei Wilson and her family have become the focus of threats and harassment from people who are upset by her attempts to begin a place for students, who happen to be nonbelievers, to gather for support and encouragement. As you might imagine, much of the resistance comes from Christians. As a Christian minister in North Carolina, the state where this is happening, I find it beyond troubling and sadly ironic that people who... Read more
I’m proud to announce that The God Article is partnering with Be Secular in their “Common Ground Conversations.” I participated in the first ever such conversation this past year at Johns Hopkins University. The outcome was exceptional. I joined in conversation with former Pentecostal minister turned secular humanist, Jerry DeWitt, about the importance of finding points of common ground between human secularists and progressive Christians. The goal was to begin envisioning ways to intentionally bring these groups together in order to have a... Read more
Love is easy – is one of the biggest myths of our day and age. If love were easy, we’d war no more. If love were easy, humans would no longer starve to death. If love were easy, homeless folks wouldn’t freeze to death while our government devises new ways to give money to the rich. Why should it be easy? What value would it have were it easy? What worth would it convey on those whom we love if... Read more
by Mark Sandlin Salvation Army kettles and the ringing bells that dot storefronts every Christmas have become something of cultural icons. When my kids were younger, one of the true joys of Christmas was each of us grabbing a handful of coins as we headed into the grocery store and joyfully stuffing it all into the kettle as we exchanged our “Merry Christmases” with the kettle workers. We don’t do that any more. As my family and I learned more... Read more
Image credit: iqoncept / 123RF Stock Photo by Mark Sandlin If any list has been overdone in the Christian blogging world, it’s this list. Just about every Christian blogger has done one and if they haven’t, they’ve thought about it and then thought better of it – because just about every Christian blogger has done one. (See what I did there?) And yet, here we are. You. Me. And my list of things Christians shouldn’t say. Hmmmm – must... Read more
“Then he told them many things in parables…” – Matthew 13:3a“When there’s an authentic mystery, as opposed to just a question being asked, that’s what makes you lean forward.” – J.J. Abrams Part 5 – Preach Preacher, Preach. We Need The Good News! Prophetic followers of Jesus have been the exception for far too long. This is particularly true of ministers. A lot of us want to be somewhat prophetic, speaking truth into the darkness of difficult realities, but a... Read more
“Then he told them many things in parables…” – Matthew 13:3a “When there’s an authentic mystery, as opposed to just a question being asked, that’s what makes you lean forward.” – J.J. Abrams Part 4 – What Are You Trying To Do? Roddenberry stands in a long line of science-fiction and fantasy storytellers who, by housing their message in a less familiar and often future-oriented environment, are trying to confront how unreasonably comfortable we become with how things are and... Read more
“Then he told them many things in parables…” – Matthew 13:3a “When there’s an authentic mystery, as opposed to just a question being asked, that’s what makes you lean forward.” – J.J. Abrams Part 3 – I Have A Dream Dr. King stood on the eighteenth step of the Lincoln Memorial and announced, “I have a dream…” and we all leaned in. We still do. That’s what the good prophetic voices do. They speak the sometimes difficult truths (truths that... Read more
“Then he told them many things in parables…” – Matthew 13:3a “When there’s an authentic mystery, as opposed to just a question being asked, that’s what makes you lean forward.” – J.J. Abrams Part 2 – The Truth Hurts Oddly, the kinds of truths which can change lives can be astoundingly hard to hear. You might think (possibly even hope) those truths would be some of the easiest things to hear, but as the saying goes, the truth hurts. Maybe... Read more
“Then he told them many things in parables…” – Matthew 13:3a “When there’s an authentic mystery, as opposed to just a question being asked, that’s what makes you lean forward.” – J.J. Abrams Part 1 – Captain Kirk Saved My Life I grew up in a small, southern town in the 70s. Racism, sexism and various other -ismswere all very much alive and kicking. Not just kicking, accepted and perhaps even expected. It was, and still is, a thoroughly conservative town.... Read more
The God Article with Mark Sandlin
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