Viral Faith

  And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’ “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life. ”  Mt 25:45–46 NLT In controversial topics, we are taught that in order to be civil in the communities in which we participate, that it is polite and respectful to "agree to disagree".  This is often used to de-escalate a disagreement that has emotion attached.  Devoted Coca-Cola drinkers will rarely agree that Pepsi products have more flavor, and so thanksgiving gatherings will often agree to disagree when a guest breaches generations of etiquette by bringing a two-liter bottle of Pepsi to a Coke family gathering. The point is that when the topic is trivial and no one has the potential of being harmed, it is appropriate to go the "lets agree to disagree" route. However, what if someone at the same thanksgiving meal made a statement...

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. (Rom 15:13 NLT) "In our questions about politics and the gospel, we must be willing to ask how evangelical politics might change if we replace fear with hope, the pursuit of power with the cultivation of humility, and nostalgia with history."--Mae Elise Canon in Beyond Hashtag Activism I am writing this on November 6th, the day after election day in 2024.  I have been preparing for this day by spending more time in prayer and meditation, anticipating that regardless of the winner of the presidential election, that many leaders and members of the churches that I have the privilege of serving, will experience significant discouragement, disappointment, and disillusionment.  A number of friends have contacted me, checking in and sharing concerns about my welfare and the welfare of many of my fr...

  The Forgotten Common Good   “A certain ruler asked Jesus, “Good Teacher, what must I do to obtain eternal life?” Jesus replied, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except the one God. You know the commandments: Don’t commit adultery. Don’t murder. Don’t steal. Don’t give false testimony. Honor your father and mother.” Then the ruler said, “I’ve kept all of these things since I was a boy.” When Jesus heard this, he said, “There’s one more thing. Sell everything you own and distribute the money to the poor. Then you will have treasure in heaven. And come, follow me.” When he heard these words, the man became sad because he was extremely rich.” (Luke 18: 18- 23 CEB) ) If you have spent any time in church, undoubtedly you have heard sermons and teachings on the text of the Rich Young Ruler (described elsewhere as young and rich). This interaction of Jesus is particularly hard for many of us to understand, when we come from a social location where we are among the most...

  Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua. They had known every act the LORD had done for Israel . (Jos 24:31 CEB) "Mediating narratives of supremacy that originate in diseased theological and social imagination--and ultimately unresolved trauma--must be replaced by alternative, healthy theological imagination that contributes to human flourishing." -- Charles Kiser and Elaine Health in Trauma-informed Evangelism This past week, I have enjoyed watching the Olympic games in Paris.  There is something about competition, involving the world's best athletes that is awe inspiriting.  What I have been fascinated by is the massive social media reactions of self-professed Christians to an opening ceremony float, and an Algerian female boxer.  Both situations are very small portions of the Olympic games, but the attention to each situation, and the intensity of emotions behind posts and my favorite, social media argumen...

  "To be a place of we the people, we have to be a place that is truly for all people, and how do we do this if we don't talk about the stolen land that America rests on?" -- Kaitlin B Curtice in Native     The LORD proclaims: Stop at the crossroads and look around; ask for the ancient paths.      Where is the good way? Then walk in it and find a resting place for yourselves.      But you said, “We won’t go!” (Jeremiah 6:16 CEB) July 4th is a time of celebration, where we commemorate the declaration of independence from the formerly British colonies, known as the United States.  In the nearly 250 years as an independent nation, it has grown from an economic experiment for the British empire to an empire that impacts nearly every economy on the planet.  With that growth, the quality of life for many has improved as indicated by lengthening life expectancies, disposable income, retirement systems, and accessible healthcare. ...

    Justice is a joy to the godly, but it terrifies evildoers (Proverbs 21:15 NLT) The LORD spoke to me, taking hold of me and warning me not to walk in the way of this people:  Don’t call conspiracy all that this people call conspiracy. Don’t fear what they fear, and don’t be terrified.  It is the LORD of heavenly forces whom you should hold sacred, whom you should fear, and whom you should hold in awe. (Is 8:11-13 CEB)   "Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions." (Mt 7:20 NLT) I was recently speaking with a leader in the denomination that I am part, and the leader, who I greatly respect, shared his ongoing concern and shock at the continued justification of violent and brutal behavior by Christian leaders.  He was correctly identifying the disconnect between civil religion, or nominal Christianity (those who identify as Christian but deny, deprioritize, and diminish the life, teachings, death and resu...