Mean-spirited ambition isn’t wisdom. Boasting that you are wise isn’t wisdom. Twisting the truth to make yourselves sound wise isn’t wisdom. It’s the furthest thing from wisdom—it’s animal cunning, devilish conniving. Whenever you’re trying to look better than others or get the better of others, things fall apart and everyone ends up at the others’ throats. Real wisdom, God’s wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along ...
Read More“It’s the only national anthem that exists that ends [as usually sung] in a question mark,” according to Loras John Schissel, a music specialist at the Library of Congress, long the center of anthem scholarship. “I think that’s so appropriate for this big thing we call the experiment in Democracy,” he said. “Because it’s always unfinished. It’s always a day-to-day contribution that we all make to make sure that it goes ...
Read MoreIf you have given up on church because the church is anti-LGBTQ, anti-women, full of hypocrites, too interested in social status and not interested enough in helping the poor and the marginalized, you clearly haven't looked very hard for a church. There are plenty of churches (like mine) that are welcoming and affirming, have LGBTQ people and women in leadership roles, wear shorts to church and turn tiny amounts of resources ...
Read MoreThis is at the core of what I believe it means to be Christian. Jesus invites us all to the table. There is enough for everyone, and everyone has a place. As Christians, we don't get to choose who we serve, and we don't get to decide who gets a place at the table. In my eyes, Sara Sanders Huckabee is the worst kind of people. She has completely deserted the ...
Read MoreAs a student at Princeton Theological Seminary, I have found that some of the best theology I have learned has been centered around “RuPaul’s Drag Race." This past year, every Monday, a loyal contingent of queer students at PTS gathers in my room to drink wine, chat and hardly pay attention to this show. It’s one of the places on campus where true familial community is found. The show only runs ...
Read MoreThe Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival
If you are not participating in (or even heard about) The Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, you need to find a way to get involved. As Christians, we are called to serve those who are in need, to reach out to those on the margins of society and to welcome the stranger. And we often do a pretty good job of addressing the immediate needs of the ...
Read MoreThis is a revised version of a post in which I asked the question: Do Christians get to choose who to serve? Three years later, I’m ready to simply answer with an emphatic “No. We don’t,” but ask again: why would any Christian even think we get to choose when it comes to serving people? I get that as a business owner, you may want the ability to choose who you ...
Read MoreTo paraphrase the late, great humorist Sam Levenson: Disliking entire groups of people because of their skin color or religion is ridiculous when there are so many perfectly legitimate reasons to dislike people on an individual basis. I've come to believe that racism is for lazy people who love to hate. Take Roseanne Barr's career-ending tweet. Her rant against Valerie Jarrett attacked the former Obama aid's looks (and that alone is ...
Read MoreIt is harsh when your own kid calls you on your bull#@*%. I've been struggling lately, as nothing I touch seems to fall in to the "successful" category. Over the course of my ministry at First Pres Argenta, I have been ghosted by church attendees/members too many times to count. I've received so many calls and/or emails explaining how much people love and appreciate the church (and me), but they've decided ...
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