We need to increase diverse social connections during this season of social distancing. This interview with pastor, musician and writer Jimi Calhoun and diversity consultant and author Steve Hanamura increase our awareness on the need for showing care for those often shut-out and shut-in during this season of social distancing due to Covid-19. Pastor Calhoun, who is African American, and Mr. Hanamura, who is Japanese American and blind from birth, have a passion to foster diverse unity in the body of... Read more

The global societal meltdown resulting from Covid-19 provides an opportunity to dig deep down inside and reflect upon our lives and emotions in healthy ways. Are we willing, though? Are we afraid of what we might find if we dig too deep? It’s important that we descend with wise and able guides who will dig with us in order to draw from deep wells of fresh water and purify unclean water rather than drink from cesspools. Otherwise, we might avoid... Read more

We read reports of the rise in Covid-19 cases in various parts of the country. Close proximity aids the spread of the virus. Its level of contagion based on physical proximity has been compared to putting a large number of matches together. Light one match and watch the flame spread until each stick is ablaze. Vibrant Christianity is contagious, though not like the virus. Contagious, healthy Christianity requires proximity. What kind of proximity? Not necessarily physical proximity, but always relational... Read more

Some people are hoping all the racial tension will blow over or blow up, as the case may be. How about you? Would you welcome the opportunity to discuss the topic of white privilege without having to hold your breath or bite your tongue, and without trying to bite someone’s head off? It isn’t easy to have a civil conversation on such a weighty and heated topic. I reached out to a few thoughtful and gracious colleagues of diverse backgrounds... Read more

Karl Barth’s theology and the doctrine of the church go hand in hand. What does one of the twentieth century’s foremost theologians have to say about one of theology’s foremost though often neglected doctrines? Many argue that the church is under siege today. We hear talk of people leaving the church in droves. We observe that in many quarters organized religion is out. Organic and unofficial spirituality is in. Barth lived at a time when the church in Europe experienced... Read more

This interview with three of my close friends addresses institutional racism. George Floyd and before him Eric Gardner cried out while in police custody that they couldn’t breathe. They died shortly after uttering these words. While we are still finding it difficult to breathe due to the Coronavirus and economic recession, we ask when will we as a society be able to breathe again while we combat racism. In the wake of George Floyd’s killing while in the custody of... Read more

The aim of this blog post and video interview is to analyze health risks and economic risks while accounting for the role of Christian faith in the “new normal” brought on by the Coronavirus. I reached out to three business leaders to address this subject. Beyth Hogue Greenetz is a small business owner, serving other small businesses in the Portland area as a part-time CFO. Her educational background in both business and theology lends a holistic perspective of the common... Read more

The Apostle Paul was under house arrest, while the Colossian Church was in danger of cardiac arrest. The Colossian Heresy was ravaging this Christian community. Paul sets out to conquer the Colossian Heresy, which was like a spiritual or religious form of the Coronavirus. What was the Colossian Heresy? It appears to have involved a form of esoteric mystical ascent mixed with a diabolical brand of ascetism. It was taking the Colossian Church’s breath away, like the fluid that fills... Read more

Holistic health is essential for building resilience during troubled times. Holistic health involves medical, psychological, and spiritual ingredients. The video interview at the close of this post accounts for all three ‘nutrients’. In the video, I interview Robert Lyman Potter, MD, Ph.D. Dr. Potter’s professional life has combined medical practice, teaching, and bioethics consultation. He practiced internal medicine and geriatrics for 30 years while teaching in a community hospital affiliated with the University of Kansas School of Medicine. He is board certified... Read more

Dr. Gary Ferngren is Professor of History at Oregon State University. He is the author of Medicine and Religion: A Historical Introduction and Science and Religion: A Historical Introduction, both with John Hopkins University Press. His research focuses on the social history of ancient medicine, religion and ancient medicine, and the historical relationship of science to religion. In a recent interview with New Wine, New Wineskins, Prof. Ferngren asserts that people ask ultimate questions during times of crisis, as with... Read more