It’s hard to argue with success, especially when the financially successful person is saying to the effect: “Tax me more. It won’t hurt me or the economy. It will only help us all”. Warren Buffett is a refreshing and most welcome voice, especially at a time when our country is at the edge of a fiscal cliff, where lawmakers are pondering what steps to take to guard against a financial downturn. Buffett’s optimism on America’s future and his wit also... Read more

I took my family to see the new Spielberg movie Lincoln over the Thanksgiving weekend. The theater was packed. I sensed throughout the movie that the audience was engaged, caught up in the drama. The acting was great. So too was the subject matter. Lincoln, the man and legend, demands a commanding performance, for he seized his moment in history on the grand stage of the world and acted out his heroic and tragically flawed part to near perfection. There... Read more

I was struck by a certain criticism of my “I Can’t Wait for Christian America to Die” blog post. The person specified that this is the same kind of speech hailing from churches affiliated with individuals like Jeremiah Wright, and which white liberals assent to in order to feel good about themselves. I appreciate the person’s clear criticism and will make use of it to develop further reflections on the subject. In view of my recent post, I don’t think white... Read more

In the book, Bono on Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assayas, U2’s Bono speaks of the good news that God calls us out of the realm of karma to that of grace. As Bono sees it, karma is at the heart of all religions and the universe. But God’s grace intervenes and interrupts the cycle of karma that we also find in physics where every action is met by one of equal force or measure of compensation. (Riverhead Books/The Penguin... Read more

This piece was originally published at The Christian Post on November 22, 2012. What are you and I most thankful for this Thanksgiving? A full stomach? A full listing of sporting events to watch? A full house of family-friendly noise? Certainly not a sink or life full of dirty dishes! If we were to ask the Apostle Paul what he is thankful for this or any day, I believe he would say he is thankful for God in Christ, who... Read more

As an evangelical theologian, I can’t wait for Christian America to die. Why? I have at least three reasons. First, Christian America wasn’t/isn’t Christian enough. I once heard Dr. John M. Perkins (the famed evangelical Christian African American civil rights prophet) say in response to the claim of many evangelicals that we need to go back to the religion and ways of the founding fathers: “I don’t want to go back there: I’d still be a slave.” No doubt, many... Read more

This piece was originally published at The Christian Post on November 15, 2012. We all have blind spots. Whether we are talking about driving a car or moving along in an ethnically and gender diverse culture, we all have blind spots in our vision from time to time. Since the election, political strategists have claimed based on demographic studies that the Republican Party and conservative Evangelicals are disconnected from minority groups, including African Americans, Hispanics, and women. It has been... Read more

This piece was originally published at The Christian Post on November 12, 2012. Last week, I was part of a small gathering of leaders whom the Murdock Trust invited to reflect upon David Kinnaman’s work You Lost Me with David (President of the Barna Group) and Steven Garber (Director of the Washington Institute). In You Lost Me, David talks about how many young people no longer sense their connection to the church and about the need for investing in person to person mentoring... Read more

This piece was originally published at The Christian Post on November 8, 2012. You may have come across statements to the effect that the apocalypse is at hand given the election results. You may have heard similar statements from those whose candidates won, if they had lost. It certainly makes me wonder where our ultimate hopes are placed. It also makes me ponder how much we really value our democracy, which is for all the people. Our candidates may win... Read more

This piece was originally published at The Christian Post on November 5, 2012. In this election season, I often find conservative Evangelical Christians (of which I am one) claiming that President Obama is “unbiblical” and that Governor Romney is the “biblical candidate”. To me, it all depends on the issue. I don’t share President Obama’s stance on abortion, but I do resonate with his efforts to make sure health care is available to all. In my estimation, neither candidate has... Read more