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March 2026

March 30, 2026

Our Shadow in the White House

It was during a discussion with other clergy when I blurted what suddenly seemed obvious....

June 2025

June 11, 2025

The Kingship Problem

"When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to...

December 2023

December 21, 2023

For The Joy

Joy is a central part of Christmas celebrations. So I was sad when I heard...

November 2023

November 27, 2023

Does American Christianity Always Get It Wrong?

We do not always get it wrong. It just appears that way too many times....

November 02, 2023

The Spirit And The Land

A favorite essay of mine is Wendell Berry's The Gift of Good Land. It is not...

September 2023

September 05, 2023

We Need To Talk

Church, we need to talk. I know we do a lot of it. We talk...

July 2023

July 13, 2023

The Social Media Mask

Practically everyone knows about the church mask. All calls for authenticity in churches are calls...

July 06, 2023

Torturing Children at Public Schools

The Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program is often referred to as the TCAP test. My son...

June 2023

June 26, 2023

Another New Ministry

When I tell people where I serve in ministry, or go to a new setting,...

May 2023

May 25, 2023

Christian Government: A Fallacy

Aristotle claimed the best form of government is a monarchy while the worst is tyranny....

May 16, 2023

Designated Readers

Is it correct to call clergy the designated readers of the church? "My therapist tells...

April 2023

April 24, 2023

Ultimately, It Was Love

My Annual Conference saw 264 congregations leave last Saturday. Love let them go. It was...

March 2023

March 23, 2023

4 Reasons Why You Need A Church

Progressive Christians do not feel at home in many churches anymore. There are reasons to...

March 06, 2023

The Gift of Community

Community is a gift. True community is based on some sort of gift economy. It...

February 2023

February 20, 2023

Out Of The Chapel: The Problem of Youth Revival

The round-the-clock 11 day revival worship in Hughes Auditorium has ended by order of the...

January 2023

January 13, 2023

What Do You Mean By Classical Christian?

I first heard the term "classical Christian" when a fundamentalist explained the philosophy of the...

December 2022

December 12, 2022

Choosing To Close Rather Than Die

A church is choosing to close. But, does that mean it dies? This is the...

December 08, 2022

5 Ways To Keep Politics Out Of Christmas

The County Democratic Party group received a "soft" threat for the Christmas parade. The people...

November 2022

November 18, 2022

Members Only

The Members Only jackets of my teenaged years illustrate how I view those times. I,...

November 15, 2022

Walking On Hallowed Ground

"Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you...

November 07, 2022

Winning And Victory

Have you ever considered there is a difference between winning and victory? One is the...

October 2022

October 31, 2022

Time To Commit To Nonviolence

I am a violent person who believes nonviolence is necessary. I do not claim to...

October 17, 2022

Conformity Is Easier

I ask myself every week. What would St. Paul think about the value the Church...

August 2022

August 29, 2022

A Place For Christian Worship

A definition for a church building is "a place for Christian worship." I have pondered...

July 2022

July 25, 2022

Burning Down Our House

The analogy is accurate. Sometimes you cannot stop a person from leaving a marriage. But...

July 13, 2022

3 Ways To Get Things Wrong

It is no surprise to anyone who reads the Bible to hear people get things...

July 11, 2022

Faking Community

A new HBO series The Anarchists is really about faking community. Briefly stated; the series is...

June 2022

June 25, 2022

What Conservative Evangelicals Lost 6/24/2022

The evangelicals/fundamentalists lost by winning. They won a Supreme Court that overturned their great target...

June 13, 2022

Avoiding Bible Abuse

Para-Church organizations regularly abuse the Bible. It is easy to do when one has an...

June 09, 2022

Keeping Cool While On Fire

Cool and warm are not often used the same way. Yet, a person may be...