Raised in an Evangelical Baptist tradition, I bore witness to the church’s condemnation of the evils of the world and how culture is misleading us down a road on sexuality, body image, and more. When all along, this same church was dispersing warfare of their own. Among many things, girls were taught to be modest … Continue reading
How comfortable are you with nuance? The pandemic accelerated and forced change upon everyone and every organization. Moreover, we keep hearing more about how A.I. is rapidly changing our present and future. But how comfortable are you with nuance in your understanding of God? How accustomed is the church to shifting its understanding of how … Continue reading
The novelist Rudyard Kipling wrote, “Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.” Sometimes a word travels through the zeitgeist, drawing the ire of some and delight of affirmation from others. Critical Race Theory, or CRT, is one of those words. When spoken by Conservative White media and politicians, CRT has been … Continue reading
We believe what we believe. There is no doubt that most of us have a very hard time changing our mind on most things. When it comes to our understanding of the Bible, that might be the most difficult for thing for people to change their mind. When we are confronted with ideas that so … Continue reading
CNN’s John Blake has covered the intersection of race, religion, and politics for decades. His work has won him multiple awards, elevating him to one of the senior writer roles at CNN. Just in the last few weeks, you’ve written on the great Harry Belafonte, the expulsion and special appointment of the two Tennessee state … Continue reading
Imagine a society where people are sanctioned where to live based on their vocation and economic status. This same society gives a bleak perspective into what is happening in the world around it through television. And those that govern are swayed by special interest. Well, this isn’t science fiction but a reality for many Americans. … Continue reading
Human emotions are fascinating. And, if we believe we are made in the image of God, then all emotions are God-given. What do we do with shame, then? What’s the emotional design behind that powerful emotion? “Shame is often associated with wrongdoing, but the older I got, the more I realized that I didn’t have … Continue reading
For many, the association between certain an American political party and Conservative Evangelical Christianity is synonymous. Why is that the case? Is that the mischaracterization by outsiders? Or an unfortunate accurate matching? Whatever the case may be, we must consider the full ramifications of our political persuasion as Christians in America. How we vote directly … Continue reading
What do missions look like in a post-colonial world? So much of our understanding of missions has been shaped by the way that Euro-Americans have done it for the last several centuries. “As we broaden our thinking about how we might go into the world, we also need to be wise about the minefields that … Continue reading
It’s been over two years since the insurrection on January 6, 2021. A day sociologists and psychologists can point to as the natural outcome of pushing and shoving incendiary political rhetoric down the throat of people already on edge due to political demagoguery. Was this the dying gasp of a failing movement or the next … Continue reading