This piece was originally published at The Christian Post on August 2, 2012. Much of my work revolves around the themes of diplomacy and advocacy. I sum these up with the term “ambassadorship.” In this series of posts titled “WANTED: Christian Ambassadors, not Tourists,” I am unpacking what it means to be an ambassador for Christ. If you’re just jumping in, begin by reading part 1. In the first post on this subject, I started out by saying, “As missional witnesses,... Read more

This piece was originally published at The Christian Post on July 30, 2012. Much of my work revolves around the themes of diplomacy and advocacy. I sum these up with the term “ambassadorship.” In this series of posts titled “WANTED: Christian Ambassadors, not Tourists,” I am unpacking what it means to be an ambassador for Christ. As missional witnesses, we are called to be ambassadors for Christ, not tourists. What do you think of when you think of American tourists?... Read more

This piece was originally published at The Christian Post on July 23, 2012. We’re often blind to color—that is, blind to how color shapes us. Some good white people like me will say they are color blind—they don’t see people’s color. While I appreciate their desire to move beyond prejudice, and while they themselves may not be prejudiced, I find their statements problematic from two angles. First, the statement does not account for our being intentionally the colors that we... Read more

This piece was originally published at The Christian Post on July 16, 2012. Was Jesus political? Absolutely, though not of the same kind as most of us. You don’t find him going in with this or that political party or interest group in his day. In fact, he likely frustrated the Essenes and Zealots and other groups, since one could not get his endorsement and support for any of the candidates or parties. He even had a former tax collector... Read more

A version of this piece was originally published at The Interfaith Observer on July 15th, 2012. By John W. Morehead and Paul Louis Metzger. Several years ago during a guest lecture on Islam, one of our Evangelical seminary students asked the president of a local mosque if Muslims did not feel any remorse over what al-Qaida had done on 9/11. He also wanted to know if Muslims did not cherish freedom and affirm human dignity. The mosque president immediately reacted to the... Read more

This piece was originally published at The Christian Post on July 12, 2012. Sometimes I hear people say we are to be the voice of the voiceless. I certainly appreciate their commitment to advocating for those on the margins. Still, “the voiceless” do have voices. I don’t need to speak for them; rather, I need to listen to them, echo their call, and amplify their voices where needed so that others don’t drown out their voices with their rebuttals. Only... Read more

This piece was originally published at The Christian Post on July 9, 2012. In Monopoly, one dreads getting the Community Chest card, “Go to jail – go directly to jail – Do not pass Go, do not collect $200.” Much better is the card “Get out of jail, free.” You can keep it until you need it. If only the spiritual life with all its consequences for our actions was that easy. I wonder how often those of us in... Read more

This piece was originally published at The Christian Post on July 4, 2012. I enjoyed watching The Avengers recently at the movie theater. I loved how the Marvel Studios’ superheroes avenged the forces of evil from beyond this world, and how the globe was delivered from harm. Captain America was certainly one of the more subdued characters in the film. He’s a selfless superhero, quite a contrast to Iron Man’s Tony Stark. Steve Rogers as Captain America is a throwback to an... Read more

This piece was originally published at The Christian Post on July 2, 2012. John the Baptist was a saint, not a celebrity. While people wanted to make him into a celebrity, he wanted to be a window through which they could gaze at the Messiah, Jesus. When John’s disciples came to him and said that Jesus to whom John bore witness “is baptizing, and everyone is going to him” (John 3:26), John said, A person can receive only what is... Read more

This piece was originally published at Aslan Media’s site on June 25th, 2012. By Paul Louis Metzger and John W. Morehead At a recent festival held annually by Dearborn’s Muslim community, it was reported that a group of Christian missionaries disrupted the event as they engaged in responses that challenged deeply valued Islamic ideals. This included holding up signs that attacked Islam’s prophet Muhammad, shouting at Muslims participating in the festival, and hoisting a pig’s head on a pole, an animal considered... Read more