I am in the midst of re-reading one of my favorite books, The Holy Longing: The Search for a Christian Spirituality, by Ronald Rolheiser. I seek out Rolheiser's writing when my weariness about the American church and its unhappy romance with politics causes me to feel despair. I ground myself in the deeper truths of […]

When my daughter was young, she had a ruthless Eastern European piano teacher. Ruthless. My girl was learning to overcome some shyness and self-consciousness, and we had hoped learning to play the piano would instill confidence. Not with this instructor, though. Our daughter practiced and practiced, playing the same song over and over again until […]

As most of my readers know, I left a church I loved several years ago after preaching and teaching there for 23 years. I left because I followed Jesus right into officiating the marriage of two of my dearest young friends. Two of the best people I know: Kind, genuine, faithful, humble, loving women … […]

As Christianity in America has been hijacked by people for political gain, the great message has been lost. Throughout history, from the time of Constantine on, this has always been the tragic fallout of the unhealthy merging of political power and faith. When this happens, the simple good news gets lost, it gets marred and […]

I just finished reading an Arthur Brooks column in the Atlantic. Gorgeous words. Here is a little excerpt I want to share with you: You will notice that all of the modern untruths I’ve identified have one big thing in common: They say you should focus on yourself—your future, your career, your discomfort, your truth. […]

60% of Americans under the age of 30 who leave the church leave because of the church's anti-LGBTQ messages. SIXTY PERCENT! Churches who maintain their oppositional stance toward full affirmation and inclusion of gay people into their life and leadership are going to face very hard choices in the future. The data tells us that […]