I vote for candidates who, in my estimation, will most effectively work within their God-ordained roles to promote human flourishing and social order. My vision of human flourishing is guided by historic, orthodox Christian ethics – what i believe to be a distillation of the plain teaching of Holy Scripture. My commitment to order flows from my theological understanding of…
[I’ve been thinking about when to share this. It’s time.] I will never forget the first day of 7th grade. I was sitting at a breakfast table when the double doors to the cafeteria opened and a hush fell over the gentle roar of a middle school cafeteria. In walked a new kid; in walked a Black kid. I stood…
Facebook and Twitter are wonderful, terrible places. On these digital street corners, friendships are nurtured, and in this digital hellscape relationships are destroyed. I’m not offering a comprehensive theology of social media. I humbly submit several quick points that may (or may not) be helpful. As always, I write as a fellow traveler, a pilgrim on the way rather than…
For our second anniversary, Holly and I took a mini-vacation to Washington, D.C. We got to watch the Reds lose to the Nationals then we hit all the usual stops. The highlight of our trip was, by far, the National Museum of African American History. Every American needs to experience this museum. One exhibit displayed significant moments in each state’s…
I’ve grappled with what I should or should not say in light of the racially motivated violence that is once again at the forefront of our national psyche. Like many of you, I wrestle with my motives when I write or post on social media. Who is this for? Is it about race or is it about me? Am I…
This morning was interesting. We had some trouble with Facebook Live, but our YouTube stream worked well & our content got out there eventually. (Apparently several folks struggled with Facebook Live, as their servers were on the receiving end of a digital Christian crusade.) Unexpectedly, I learned a lot about myself this morning. I learned how much the instant gratification…
To be honest, we don’t need more content about COVID-19 & the church. But alas, you’re reading & I’m writing. It is neither my responsibility nor my intention to speak definitively about what churches should do, nor is it time to speculate on how this may impact the way we understand & do church in the future. (I think that…
I’m not necessarily a huge New Years guy, but I do take some time to reflect on a guiding word or theme for the year. Last year’s word, applicable to both my life and our church’s life, was build. By God’s grace, it was a fruitful year of building. The word for 2020 is consistency. I introduced it Sunday &…
The Bible’s final book, Revelation, is filled with vivid symbols and powerful imagery. John, that old apocalyptic pastor, cuts through the malaise of our daily information scroll to show us the reality of God breaking into our world. Poetic passages in the Bible can be frustrating. Poetry rewards the patient & attentive. Poetry frustrates the pragmatic & hurried. Poetry is…
I love those passages of Scripture at the end of Paul’s letters — the ones with names, prayer requests, and personal instructions. We tend to overlook these verses. But I think they give us something beautiful. They give us a window into the life of the earliest Christ followers. When we gaze through it we see our spiritual fathers &…