Spirituality. Politics. Music. Life.
Increasingly, I am convinced the opposite of “faith” is not “doubt,” but “fear.” This is because the deepest level of “faith” is not “belief,” but “trust;” and the opposite of “trust/faith” is “fear/anxiety.” Instead of faith’s opposite, doubt is a part of the journey of faith. Skepticism is, or should be, embraced as how we […]
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The greatest trick Constantine ever played on our world was to convince us that the Empire that killed Jesus should actually embrace the religion that bears his name. Why this isn’t self-obviously shocking to us today is a symptom of both how completely our culture has accepted the ascendancy of Atonement Theology; and also why […]
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Dear Donald Trump: Migrants are not animals.Migrants are not subhuman. Using such language about them is a dangerous and fascist tactic, designed to dehumanize and create “The Other.” Real leaders don’t light these kinds of matches and stoke these kinds of hates.But I guess you know that. Real Christians understand the Hebrew scripture injunction that […]
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It’s now more than a week past Tracy Chapman’s incredible performance at this year’s Grammy Awards Show. I can’t stop thinking about it. And it’s reminded me of my favorite Tracy Chapman song. Most people’s favorite is likely the big hit she performed at the Grammy’s. But mine has always been “All That You Have […]
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I want to circle back to a theme that clearly resonated with people in my post on Taylor Swift/Travis Kelce last week. It’s a concept I’ve come to now understand has a name: “Freudenfreude.” Loosely defined as:“Taking joy/pleasure in other people’s joy or pleasure.” It’s a concept defined as the linguistic opposite of “Schadenfreude.”“Taking pleasure […]
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The United Methodist Church is now a Center-Left denomination.America is a Center-Left Nation. These are the twin theses I want to put before you today. After the past several years of bitter and partisan theological infighting, our separation into UMC and GMC is now complete. Studies show fully one quarter of former-United Methodist Churches have […]
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Let’s talk Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce, and a very specific freaking out happening right now. Because it’s a NEW kind of freaking out. It’s not the same old “Taylor-hating.”And I think I know exactly what’s driving it. The world has been foolishly bagging on Taylor Swift for decades now. And all along folks like me […]
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Dallas awakes to snow and ice, and flurries continuing to fall as I write, and I’m here to update you again about our ministry helpful our houseless neighbors. Yesterday, it seems to me, was one of those both beautiful and heartbreaking days…especially if you’re going to serve others. We started with our primary mission (IMHO) […]
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During this Christmas season, I’ve written meditations on one of my favorite literary works of all time:WH Auden’s “For The Time Being.” (FTTB) Here are links to each section.Feel free to keep this page handy, for easy future reference. Unpacking WH Auden’s “For the Time Being.” Section One: “ADVENT.” Section Two: “THE ANNUNCIATION“ Section Three: […]
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“Silent night, Holy night…all is calm, all is bright.” Just days from now —and like Christians all around the globe— we’ll sing these words on Christmas Eve. We’ll light our candles, hold them high, and experience a brief, blissful moment of “calm.” There is something in this ending to Christmas Eve worship that always calms […]
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