The title of this post may seem like an odd question to ask given how seemingly averse many Americans today are to anything taxing, like suffering. Speaking of “taxing,” consider how tax averse many of us who are Americans are to the point of avoiding taxes, even evading taxes in some cases! So, why be taxed–as in being persecuted–for one’s faith? The answer is that there are great benefits in experiencing persecution (regardless of what we think of being taxed... Read more

Today is Corpus Christi Sunday. “Corpus Christi” (the body of Christ) often follows Trinity Sunday in ecclesial celebrations, though not always. Moreover, not all Christians celebrate this day, parallel to how not all Christians share the same view of the Lord’s Supper or Eucharist, which this day commemorates. Roman Catholicism, various Orthodox traditions, and some Anglican churches honor this feast to commemorate the institution of the sacrament of Holy Communion. It is most unfortunate that the very institution intended to... Read more

For those of us who aspire to be missional Christian leaders, what will characterize us? What kind of missional leaders will we be? The kind that cast out demons? Something else? Something more? Hopefully not something less, like the kind weighed down by demons and who make their converts twice the sons and daughters of hell that they are (for which Jesus rebuked the scribes and Pharisees: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a... Read more

Father’s Day is a national holiday that was first celebrated in Washington state in 1910. Father’s Day was later honored nationwide beginning in 1972. As far as I know, the Jewish nation did not celebrate a holiday equivalent to Father’s Day in ancient times. So, it is difficult to answer the question set forth in the title of this piece: What would Father’s Day be like for Jesus? Yet it is worth exploring as a thought experiment, for we can... Read more

“We can do better as a country. Rather than abandoning or vilifying them, what if every church in the US were to adopt an unaccompanied child migrant?” This reflection by a Christian philanthropist friend of mine this past week got me thinking. For all the conservative Christian talk about overturning Roe vs. Wade and current abortion laws, how can conservative Evangelical Christians develop a more expansive pro-life stance, like our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters? Refer here, for example. Pope... Read more

Have you heard the saying, “They are of such heavenly value that they’re of no earthly good”? Sometimes this statement is taken to refer to Christians whose heads and hearts are above the clouds, lost in thought about spiritual ideals that have no bearing on life here on earth. The dual teaching of the Ascension and Pentecost, which is celebrated on consecutive Sundays, flies in the face of this saying. Those who take to heart this dual teaching and seek... Read more

By Paul Louis Metzger and John W. Morehead  On the evening of Sunday, June 2nd, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and members of various Evangelical Protestant churches from the greater Portland area came to the Tualatin Stake Center to listen to a conversation between representatives of their respective faith traditions (Hereafter, for shorthand purposes, we will often use Latter-day Saints or LDS when referring to our friends’ faith tradition; for an article we wrote about their... Read more

The philosopher George Santayana remarked that those who do not understand history tend to repeat it. I was reminded of this statement in view of a recent conversation. If we don’t understand the history surrounding Reconstruction after the Civil War, we may be repeating some of the same heinous, historical mistakes. The person who encouraged me to reflect back on Reconstruction is Rev. Dr. LeRoy Haynes, Jr. This week, Dr. Haynes and I met for lunch in downtown Portland. I... Read more

If Jesus had not risen from the dead, we can expect that his disciples would have chosen one of two options. According to N.T. Wright, the “normal options open” to the disciples following Jesus’ demise were: they could have chosen to go back to fishing and other former occupations, or they could have chosen a replacement as messiah from among Jesus’ blood relatives, like James.[1] As the story goes, they did not choose either option. Instead, according to the New... Read more

You’ve heard of the doubting Thomas? He’s the disciple who would not believe the testimony of his fellow apostles that Jesus had been raised bodily from the dead. He replied that he would only believe if he could place his finger and hand in the risen Jesus’ cruciform wounds. I really think his doubt was a form of devotion. Let’s consider Thomas’ relationship with Jesus more closely, beginning with the gospel account to which I just alluded: Now Thomas, one... Read more