Rioters desecrated the temple of American Democracy on January 6. That is exactly what Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi called the heinous act when she stated: “To those who engaged in the gleeful desecration of this, our temple of Democracy, American Democracy, justice will be done.” Long after the clean-up and restoration of the brick, mortar, wood and glass of our democracy’s temple, the nation’s Capitol, is finished, we will be cleaning up the damage done to our democracy.... Read more

Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a Republican Congressman from Illinois, has spoken out about the loss of “moral authority” in the GOP. Refer here, for example. This week, he repeated his challenge to his party. Those GOP members of Congress who object to President-elect Biden’s victory today have lost their “moral authority” to take issue if Democrats return the favor and object to a future GOP Presidential election victory. Watch here. It raises the question: What constitutes moral authority in the US—or... Read more

We invest so much energy cleaning up before and after holiday festivities. This year, we have also invested an exceptional amount of effort and energy sanitizing ourselves and things with which we come into contact. Perhaps there are even moments as we clean and sanitize during this holiday season in our secular age that we unconsciously yearn for the sacred domain of seemingly primitive times, reminiscent of Mircea Eliade’s book The Sacred and the Profane. All this stood out to... Read more

Each in their own way, Hanukkah and the fourth Sunday of Advent emphasize peace. Hanukkah (which was celebrated from December 10-18 this year) involves an emphasis on religious liberty, which entails tolerance and peace. The fourth Sunday of Advent (today) is often taken to highlight peace. The fourth candle on the Advent wreath is often called the Angel’s Candle and is taken to signify peace in keeping with the angelic host’s declaration: “Glory to God in the highest, and on... Read more

Last Sunday, we celebrated the second week of Advent. Many churches lit the Bethlehem candle to emphasize faith in the God who shows up in no-name places. This Sunday is the third Sunday of Advent, where many churches light the candle signifying the shepherds and their joy. The theme I wish to consider with various pastoral leaders in the accompanying video at the close of this blog post unites the two: “God Favors No-Name Places and Faces.” This point came... Read more

The character Lee in Steinbeck’s East of Eden says that the Cain and Abel story is “the best-known story in the world because it is everybody’s story.” I would extend this point to include the stories of Sarah and Hagar, Esau and Jacob, and Leah and Rachel. I reread these accounts in Genesis this week. Then there are the individual characters like Abraham, Moses, Ruth, David, Jeremiah, Esther, Mary Magdalene, Peter, Thomas, and Timothy. The list goes on. I take... Read more

Today is the first Sunday of Advent. Many churches mark the occasion by lighting the prophecy candle of hope. The prophets of old looked forward to the Messiah’s appearance. Now we who believe in Jesus long for him as well. We await his second coming. May that hope put in perspective all other hopes and take precedence in our lives. What characterizes biblical hope during Advent and beyond? 1 Peter 1 sheds light on biblical hope and its importance for... Read more

On a cursory reading of the Law and Prophets, one may be tempted to think of God as a cosmic killjoy and his commands as real downers. All the Bible’s talk of sin might come across as a real drag. But that’s only if we create a god from a Moralistic Therapeutic Deistic perspective, where the deity is a “divine butler” or “cosmic therapist,” to reference Christian Smith’s study of MTD. Moses and the biblical Prophets did not see God and... Read more

What liturgy shapes your church—a sacred liturgy or a secular one? In asking this question, I call to mind a conversation years ago with noted Lutheran theologian Robert W. Jenson. We were talking about consumerism and secularism. He remarked in terse terms: “Secularism will either empty the church or secularize the church.” Here is what I believe Jenson had in mind. Churches that retained their traditional Christian symbolism and liturgy have often lost consumers to churches that celebrate such things as Super Bowl... Read more

Many of us may feel there is little reason to give thanks this Thanksgiving. We may be facing relational, physical, mental, financial, occupational, and cultural challenges. The list could go on. These struggles may weigh heavily upon our faith. In the midst of such difficulties, we can take comfort from Habakkuk 3:17-19. The writer does not deny that life’s circumstances can be incredibly daunting. It looks like nothing seems to be working for him and his people and that all... Read more