Everything That Rises

It's no secret that the Church is in decline. People are leaving or just not showing up in the first place. Mainline congregations are disappearing, and even the bulwark that was conservative evangelicalism seems to be on the downhill slide. What's going on? I've read or heard all sorts of answers to this question, and I think most of them are valid. They range from arguments pointing to the injustice of an institution that insists on preserving crumbling buildings while ignoring hungry children, to the ignorance of an institution that ignores widely held, modern scientific beliefs in favor of antiquated worldviews that were never really intended to be what modern science is, to the irrelevance of a an institution that claims love and forgiveness as its core virtues yet often promotes intolerance. I've heard others answer such questions by claiming that the real problem is liberalism/conservatism, a distancing from "old time religion," or the melding of re...

I recently had the privilege of preaching on the national radio program,  Day1   (formerly "The Protestant Hour"). Day1 is a great program, a place to hear some of the best Mainline, Protestant preachers. You can find my sermon and interview  here , but I hope you'll browse the site for greats like Tom Long, Fred Craddock, Barbara Brown Taylor, and many more.

This week, I'm travelling with the youth from my church to camp in Virginia. Today, on the way to camp, we stopped for the day in Washington, D.C.(by the way, there is way too much to see in just one day). And now, as I'm finally ready for rest after a packed day in our nation's capital, I thought I might share a thought or two about what I experienced today. I was reminded that the true greatness of our country is not found in arrogant attempts at proclaiming such greatness, but in the humble ways in which so many women and men in this great land have fought (not only themselves but for) their sisters and brothers. They have not only fought on the battlefields of war. They have fought in the countless courtrooms of our nation seeking justice. They have fought in the state houses to pass laws to govern this great nation. They have fought from the Oval Office seeking to make the true and fair decisions that held the power to alter the course of human history. They have ...

To use as few words as possible, the simple answer to this question is “yes.” As a person of faith, particularly a person who follows Jesus Christ (a victim of the death penalty, mind you), I am of the conviction that every person is a bearer of the image of God. This is an ideology expressed by those who stand against abortion in the “pro-life” movement. I’m afraid, however, that most of their “pro-life” sentiments end at the maternity ward. It is my belief that being “pro-life” means I am against (unnatural) death, whether it be abortion, war, murder, or even the death penalty. The death penalty stands in stark opposition to being “pro-life,” because it is a practice that unnaturally ends the life of another human being. Furthermore, as a Christian I am convinced that the attitudes and reasoning behind the death penalty stand in contradiction to the teachings of Jesus. We still live with the motto “an eye for an eye…”, but Jesus says to us “if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, ...

*This is my most recent response for the "Religion Roundtable" for The Anniston Star (to be published 2/2/2013)             It is difficult for any of us living in the Western World, on this side of the Enlightenment, to find reality in something like demon possession. We live in the reality of science and medical research. If we see someone exhibiting behaviors that could be understood as demon possession, we chalk it up to a mental illness or perhaps a chemical imbalance. We have even looked back at Holy Scripture and the instances of demon possession in an attempt to explain them away as ancient misunderstanding of other illnesses. Now, I am not discrediting medical research or science (in fact I think more people of faith need to embrace science), nor am I looking to explain away the witness of ancient Scripture. I believe demon possession is a real thing, even in our Western, post-enlightenment world, because I see it all arou...

*This is my most recent response to a question for The Anniston Star's "Religion Roundtable."* The short, simple answer to this question is “no.” Frankly, it’s hard (if not impossible) to say what ALL religions believe and practice. Given my experience with other religions, however, I would say that in some ways many religions do in fact share the same goals of worship, service, and proclamation (sharing their faith with others). Of course, the fundamental difference among religions is the divinity they worship, serve, and proclaim. As a Christian, I put my faith in the Triune God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), made manifest in the person of Jesus Christ. As a Christian, it is my goal to worship, serve, and proclaim God to other through both my words and my actions. My friends of other faiths share similar goals, though they may put their faith in a different deity or understand God differently than I do. We have similar religious goals, but our source of faith ...