In recent months as I worked to solidify my understanding of God's heart toward those in our society who are marginalized, oppressed and demonized by the church, I turned - of course - to the Gospels, the biographies of Jesus' life and teachings. These writings are, allegedly, the centerpiece of Christian understanding about how we […]

I don't often make religious claims with absolute certainty. Not my style. But I am gonna' do it right here, right now. After studying the life of Jesus in the Gospels for the last 40 years, I can state with absolute certainty that Jesus would never, ever, ever, single out transgender children, or their parents, […]

I recently resigned after 23 years of teaching and preaching at Orchard Hill Church. I have been fielding questions about my departure. The most common being, Why? The simple answer to that question is this: I have a theological difference with our senior leadership team and our Board of elders. My understanding of Jesus and […]

If you ever feel unworthy … If you question whether or not God can love you … If your guilt and shame ever overwhelm you … If you wonder if God turns his face away … Please remember that Jesus washed the feet of Judas, the dirty, filthy, betraying feet of the one who would […]

"The only people toward whom Jesus was not merciful were the unmerciful." (Brian Zahnd)

Such important reading this morning in Fleming Rutledge's brilliant book on the Crucifixion of Christ. In it, she writes: … in our world, something is terribly wrong and must be put right. If, when we see an injustice, our blood does not boil at some point, we have not yet understood the depths of God. […]