As an American patriot, I celebrate the Fourth of July with pride and gratitude. However, I distinguish this patriotism from Christian nationalism. My faith teaches me that Jesus transcends political affiliations and national boundaries. He is not the exclusive...
02868 – “Hymn for the Hurting”
Everything hurts,Our hearts shadowed and strange,Minds made muddied and mute.We carry tragedy, terrifying and true.And yet none of it is new;We knew it as home,As horror,As heritage.Even our childrenCannot be children,Cannot be. Everything hurts.It’s a hard time to be...
00878 – Sacred Choral Music in America
Sacred Choral Music in America Pristine colonial meetinghouses, frontier brush arbors, African-American churches, rural singing schools and ornate urban cathedrals have all been seedbeds for the potent partnership of fervent faith and choral singing. During the last...
00712 – Worshipful Worship Services
How will we teach Christianity’s specialness if the music in our worship services imitates the superficiality and meaninglessness of the general world and our sermons talk about subjects that those in the pew can learn from psychologists, sociologists, and the local...
00225 – Hospitality is Key
What do we experience by eating together? We share the host’s hospitality. And hospitality is at the core of our spiritual life. Most of our day is spent experiencing how we are different from one another—our race, our economic status, our education, our language, our...