Every time I read or hear something about Christian nationalism, I shudder. This movement has nothing to do with Jesus, Christianity, or the US Constitution, which demands the separation of church and state. Christian nationalism is an attempt to establish a militaristic theocracy. For most of my life, the word Christian has been positive despite … Read more
In my sixty-three years of ministry, I have encountered dozens of different Jesuses. In my own life, the Sunday School Jesus was white with well-coiffed brown hair and a brilliant white flowing gown, looking like he just got off the boat from Sweden. My young adult Jesus appeared human but was really God. Seminary’s Jesus … Read more
Mark (14:7), Matthew (26:11), and John (12:8) all claim that Jesus said, “The poor will always be around.” I have never liked that statement. It’s defeatist, and I want to prove it wrong. In the 1960s, when Lyndon Johnson was president, he led a war on poverty and was about 40 percent successful. Then Nixon … Read more
About six months ago, my editor and some friends suggested that I write more positive, inspiring blog posts. I thought that was a good idea and gave it a try. However, a few weeks ago, I realized I was back to my old ways. I’m going to try again. My first idea was to do … Read more
When I was a history major in college, I was intrigued by World War II. I always wondered how Adolf Hitler convinced the Lutheran Church that he was a good guy. Fast-forward to February 2022, when the Russians started a massive buildup on the Ukrainian border. I was surprised that the free world just watched … Read more
I have never been comfortable with the idea that a human can be crucified and then resurrected. It makes no sense and reeks of silliness. Here’s why: Dead is dead. If Jesus had played dead and he wasn’t, the centurion who had pronounced him dead would have been crucified the next day. Those were the … Read more
In the third century, a new abbot arrived at the monastery to oversee the monks who were copying the Bible by hand. He noticed that the monks were not copying from the original, so the abbot started checking copies against the original. Suddenly, he started sobbing, “It can’t be true! The original word was celebrate. … Read more
Have you ever wondered why so many people are against critical race theory (CRT)? I have. Then, one day I had an ah-ha moment. I believe in CRT’s premise that systematic and institutional racism exists everywhere. I see it in churches, educational systems, the military, and my community as well as in my own life. … Read more
As I was writing my new book, I became very aware of all the different versions of Jesus. Let us review some of them. Probably the most familiar one is the White Jesus, the Hollywood one with pinkish skin, rosy cheeks, blue eyes, light-brown hair with a well-trimmed beard and moustache in a brilliant white … Read more