Spirituality. Politics. Music. Life.
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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We saw the “Tina Turner Musical” this week, and a brief moment of the narrative has stayed with me, touched me deeply, and seems to speak deep truth about our need to be entertained, and perhaps even our continued fascination with Donald Trump. I know, that’s a lot. You might think the Trump association has […]
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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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Everyone needs to hear this leaked video. It reveals several things about America, all at once. It highlights our polarized and racialized politics… It could have been recorded in any statehouse in the old Confederacy, as a conversation White men have when they think nobody is listening. There is no question that it reconfirms every […]
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It’s now Monday, and to my amazement, my hastily dashed-off post “Good Friday” —about the original meaning of the crucifixion in Jesus’ time— continues to be shared at a stunning pace.It’s now approaching 3,000 Facebook shares, and thousands of remarkable and kind comments. My best guess is: it’s still being shared around 100 times an […]
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“Um…so what’s that interesting necklace you’re wearing?” I am at the Kerrville Folk Festival, on a sweaty May afternoon. I’m with a group of fellow musicians, and one has again asked me a question I’ve been asked many times before. She’s asking about the necklace I wear every day. “It’s a ‘Lethal Injection Crucifix,’” I […]
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It’s time to reclaim January 6th. It’s time to remember that, for 2,000 years, this date had a meaning not at all connected with Donald Trump and the insurrectionist takeover of our nation’s Capitol. I am not suggesting we “forget” the Insurrection and its murderous outcomes. I’m not suggesting we make the mistakes that the […]
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This week, as I reread the first verses of Luke’s Christmas story, I thought about Rey (from Star Wars), and about my own governor, Greg Abbott. Director JJ Abrams masterfully introduces the character of Rey to us in “The Force Awakens” in a sequence that is worthy of a careful look. As John Williams’ brilliant […]
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“All the tax collectors and sinners were gathering around Jesus to listen to him. The Pharisees and legal experts were grumbling, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.””Luke 15: 1-2 “Everyone who saw this grumbled, saying, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”Luke 19: 7 I’ve been thinking about Zacchaeus, […]
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