What The Holy Spirit Does
October 28, 2018
This morning the daily Scripture reading was Luke 16-17. Verse 9 caught my eye. And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings. What? My study Bible cross-referenced Matt 19:21: …sell your possessions and give […]
Wisdom and Righteousness and Justice
July 7, 2017
In the days leading up to The Justice Conference, I happened to be reading about King Solomon. I’m following a chronological reading plan right now, so I read both accounts of God asking Solomon what he wished for. In 1 Kings 3, Solomon asked for an understanding heart to judge the people, to discern between […]
Laborers, Equity, and Golf Handicaps – The Justice Conference 2017
July 26, 2017
Christena Cleveland is a social psychologist, theologian, author and professor at Duke Divinity School. Her talk was one of the best talks on justice that I’ve ever heard. I highly recommend listening to the talk in its entirety here. Her text was Matthew 20:1-16, The Parable of the Laborers. This parable is book-ended by “The […]
Rainbows, Promises, and DREAMERS
September 4, 2017
It is inhumane to abandon DREAMERS. Trump’s rollback of DACA is a humanitarian tragedy of epic proportion. The beneficiaries of DACA are undocumented children who were brought into this country by undocumented parents. As a result of Barack Obama’s executive order in 2012, they were able to apply and be screened for work permits that […]
Statement Regarding #UniteTheRight Charlottesville Rally
August 12, 2017
I am white. I am a Christian. I condemn the white supremacist, racist, neo-nazi, and white nationalist ideologies represented by the #UniteTheRight rally that occurred in Charlottesville on August 12, as well as the march the previous night. I condemn the President’s failure to name the evil. I believe his failure to do so sends […]
Christian Response to Refugees and Immigrants
February 2, 2017
***Updated 2/8/17 to include “100 Evangelical Leaders Denounce Trump’s Ban*** Reported at CNN, this letter/ad will appear in WaPO. Here is what Christian leaders are saying about refugees and immigrants. Click on the links to read more. We believe that our nation can continue to be both compassionate and secure. – Joint letter, CCCU, World […]
Book Review – Building A Bridge: How the Catholic Church and the LGBT Community Can Enter into a Relationship of Respect, Compassion, and Sensitivity
September 27, 2017
Last weekend there was a hullabaloo of a Roman Catholic nature in the Twittersphere. Father James Martin, a Jesuit priest, was disinvited from three speaking engagements at Catholic organizations due to agitation by extreme right Catholic groups against him and his recent book, Building A Bridge. Rob George, a conservative Catholic professor (Yale), while supporting […]
Awakening to The Christian Social Imperative
August 14, 2017
Raising the consciousness of the Church for the social imperative didn’t happen overnight. Here are four books that have historically shaped social justice in the Church. ♦The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism, by Carl F. H. Henry – Written in 1947, this is the classic pivotal book for Christian engagement with social issues. ♦I Have […]
Bibliography for the Christian Social Imperative
November 26, 2017
If you’ve been convicted, as I have, about Christian social responsibility, you need to get yourself informed. Here is a selected bibliography of books that I recommend. Many of these books were required/recommended reading at TEDS, many more are ones I’ve stumbled across in my search for the best voices on social issues, both secular […]
The Justice Conference 2017 – Report Out
June 11, 2017
I’ve been concerned about justice from the first time I whined as a child that something wasn’t fair. My parents told me the same thing that I told my kids: life often isn’t fair, and you need to learn to deal with it. Yet, regardless of what life has and hasn’t dealt me, I still […]