Sometime ago, a friend who had just celebrated his 84th birthday observed, “You know, when I was young, I thought I knew what being in my eighties would be all about. But now that I am well into the experience, I realize that I don’t know at all. Oh, sure, I have aches and pains that I didn’t experience in the past and I move more slowly. But inside, life feels much as it did in my thirties and forties.”... Read more
A dear friend who has navigated cancer of his own is now facing that journey with his wife. Her cancer, sadly, is far more virulent and, tied as it is, to a genetic marker, the little monster is not going away. Like many of my friends, he has shared the progress of his wife’s treatment with his Facebook community, and the result has been just what one might hope for: words of encouragement and sympathy, promises of prayer, and offers... Read more
The war on Christmas has become an annual topic of conversation. This year The Wall Street Journal’s Daniel Henninger even declared that Christmas is dead. Is it time for an autopsy? Scanning the store windows up and down New York’s Fifth Avenue, Henninger chronicled the ways in which major commercial outlets had erased even the most sentimental traces of Christmas from their windows, replacing Santa Claus and his elves with palm readers; the Roman god, Neptune; and the inebriated and... Read more
Some time ago, Ben Myers, a systematics professor at United Theological College in Sydney, Australia, summarized the Bible, book by book, using Twitter. He did an admirable job of capturing the themes of First and Second Kings: 1 Kings: So, you really want a monarchy huh? Don’t say I didn’t warn you. 2 Kings: I told you so. Read together, the message of those two books could be understood as an endorsement of theocracy (i.e., the direct rule of God). ... Read more
Dear Candidates for President of the United States (yes, all of you): On the subject of politics and religion: Please don’t mix the two…in the name of personal morality or in the name of social justice. You cannot and you will not get it right. And, although a few among us have been telling you that if you want our vote, you should share our faith, really, that’s not good for you, for us, or for the country.... Read more
Did the events in Paris have anything to do with religion? In the surreal world that is modern discourse, some writers and leaders strangely suggest that religion had nothing to do with the attacks in Paris. Paralyzed by political correctness, they do everything possible to avoid discussing the connection between the attack and Islam, even when the rallying cry that the murderers used was explicitly religious. On the other end of the spectrum, for some of the same reasons, some... Read more
In the wake of the terrorist attacks in Paris last night, the observations offered by a number of writers followed a predictable script. Some expressed shock and surprise. Some urged that we avoid seeking vengeance. Some encouraged their readers to remember that not all Muslims endorse the kind of violence that was planned and executed. Others urged forgiveness and hinted at the West’s own culpability. I understand the anguish and surprise that people have expressed. It is a testimony to... Read more
Over the years, I’ve seen people get stuck – personally and vocationally. There’s no formal definition for that place in life. But minimally, I suppose, we are “stuck” when we are profoundly uneasy with our circumstances, at dis-ease with the direction in which our lives are moving, and apparently unable to do anything to change the situation. Some people get stuck in the past, trapped by regret, guilt, or unaddressed injustice. Some get stuck in the present with patterns of... Read more
Some weeks ago, a Facebook friend who is also a young pastor posted this message (which I have quoted here with his permission): So, this is a bit of a vent/rant. I’m frustrated, discouraged, and worried. Worried about the future, discouraged about where my ministry career has brought me, and frustrated that I feel like I’m in a prison called The Church with no apparent way out. I’ve been researching a career change to nursing, which seems infinitely more promising... Read more
From my list of errant (but oft-cited) truisms: “The wrong side of history”… History is mute and dumb. The product of human choices, moral and immoral. Capable of advance. Capable of gross and brutal retreat. Capable of virtue in some places. Capable of cruelty in others. Sometimes, many others. The course of history is dependent upon the good, which is God. It is also a servant to evil, which is the absence of God, one choice... Read more
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