04205 – Using God for Power

When a politician claims that God is on their side they are just using God to try to get you on their side. It is simply taking God's name in vain for the sake of their own pursuit of power. Turning any politician into some messiah-like figure for Christianity is...

read more

03872 – The Gift of Hope

Do not take that gift of hope lightly. It has the power to conquer despair in the midst of sorrow, to light the darkness in the valleys of life, to whisper “One more time” in the face of failure. Hope is what gives life to dreams, making the fairy tale the reality.

read more

01959 – Myth of “the Chosen Nation”

It is clear that the myth of the Chosen Nation has been a powerful theme in American life. It is also clear that this myth can serve good and constructive purposes, especially when yoked to the notion of national covenant, for "covenant" implies responsibilities to...

read more

01035 – Bring Heaven to Earth

The Bible isn’t a book about how to get into heaven; it’s a library of poems and letters and stories about bringing heaven to earth now, about this world becoming more and more the place it should be. There is very, very little in the Bible about what happens when you...

read more

00794 – Justice, Mercy, & Grace

Proximity has taught me some basic and humbling truths, including this vital lesson: Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done. My work with the poor and the incarcerated has persuaded me that the opposite of poverty is not wealth; the opposite of...

read more