When our story is told a century from now--and it will be--how much of the American church ran after idols and delusions, false christs and conspiracies, history will not only fault the pastors for not confronting us with the truth, but the congregations who forbade...
03944 – Need to Make Significant Changes?
One of the great deceptions many dying churches believe is that they don't need to make any significant changes; they just need a pastor to help them continue doing what they have always done.
03694 – Don’t “Make Room for” Bigotry
When you hear someone "making room" for bigotry embedded in state law or church polity, look at who they are. If they are not one of the people oppressed by that policy, but they're making room for it, they are complicit in the oppression, not at all a neutral...
03228 – Our Leaning Side
A pastor of a small church would occasionally call on one gentleman to pray, and every time this one particular guy would pray, he would end with the strangest statement, “And, oh Lord, prop us up on our leaning side.” Finally, the pastor pulled him aside, and he...
02830 – “The Original Sin of the Church”
If America’s original sin is slavery, the original sin of the church is anti-Judaism and antisemitism. Before the New Testament was fully written. we see evidence of it... If you look at the passion accounts in the four Gospels in chronological order, you see Rome...
02691 – We Don’t Want to See Suffering
Salvation in Jesus’ name is treated as a cure all. Supposedly, there is no suffering once we join the church, and if there is any cause for discomfort, then we vote the pastor out at the next business meeting. Ironically, we worship Jesus, who showed his wounds, but...
02404 – No Gatekeepers to Jesus
The good news is that there are no gatekeepers to Jesus. People try to be. Pastors, theologians, churches, and others police theology, enforce legalism, and criticize people's faith. But God loves everyone even when Christians don't.
02210 – Using Gender-Inclusive Language
As the father of two girls (now also grandfather of three), I have cringed listening to some preachers and teachers in the church make perfectly good points while using solely male pronouns during their exposition... There are, indeed, “hidden figures” in our...
02183 – Confront Us with the Truth?
When our story is told a century from now--and it will be--how much of the American church ran after idols and delusions, false christs, and conspiracies? History will not only fault the pastors for not confronting us with the truth, but the congregations who forbade...
02157 – Congregations, Sinners, & Pastors
Every congregation is a congregation of sinners. As if that weren’t bad enough, they all have sinners for pastors.