Beyond Bootstrap Success Stories
Few things are more offensive to those committed to the “pull yourself up by your own bootstraps” philosophy than the message that “the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, n...
The Church and the New Civil Rights Movement
Richard “Dick” Brogan was a personal friend, and he was one of my heroes.
Dick was a white Mississippi Baptist minister who worked tirelessly to build relationships between whites and blacks during segregatio...
Sixty Percent
Sixty percent is a supermajority,
who took time out of their busy schedules,
who needed to make a statement,
who wanted to leave a legacy,
who knew exactly how and where lines must be drawn.
So much good c...
The politics of having faith and serving in government
It breaks my heart today to see how often politics shapes our faith, rather than faith shaping our politics. Over the years the church in America has become so biblically illiterate that we are often being m...
Kony 2012 and the Golden Rule: How Do 'We' Tell 'Their' Story?
BY: KENT ANNAN -- Joseph Kony recently became an Internet star through Invisible Children's Kony 2012 Campaign. Among...
The Disease of Building Theology in the Theoretical
I love and am enlivened by intellectual stimulation, specifically in relation to the integration of theology and ethics. In many ways, I feel that I am hardwired for this stuff.
The other night my NieuCommu...
Patriarchy, Pop Culture, and Pornography
Several years ago, I read “The DaVinci Code” to see what all the fuss was about. It was nothing special—a fast-paced novel with interesting, if inaccurate, historical details woven in—b...
Wounded Healers & Healed Healers: Physician Heal Thyself
There is a slight problem with most of us that really want to make a difference and help. We’ve got a lot of our own issues! It’s definitely a catch 22. Those that have felt a lot of pain tend to have empathy f...
You Can Help George Win a Van
One year ago this week, as the birds were hatching on our porch and the rose bush was in full bloom, our friend George was shot, just four blocks up the street. The bullet that hit his neck lodged in his C...
Reduce, Reuse, Repent: Earth Day Revival Amuses and Transforms
We had gathered, the faithful and the curious, 300 strong, for an old-fashioned tent revival meeting with a newfangled "consumption sabbath" twist.
The blue-robed gospel choir -- which had warmed up for the...