Category: Culture

Christian Leadership, Culture, Public Theology

Enough: Cultural War is Tearing the Church Apart

One of my favorite songs we often sing at church is “They’ll Know We are Christians By Our Love.” It was written by Peter Scholtes and describes the church’s mission to share the love of Jesus Christ.

This verse of the song is quite powerful.

We will walk with each other, We will walk hand in hand,

We will walk with each other, We will walk hand in hand,

And together we’ll spread the news that God is in the land.

And they’ll know we are Christians by our love,

Yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.

What saddens is me is how often we do not live out these words. Often what we share with the world is the message that we will only walk with each other as long as we share beliefs, practices, and understandings of faith, and that we will not walk with those who disagree with us. Continue reading “Enough: Cultural War is Tearing the Church Apart”

Christian Leadership, Christianity, Culture, Devotion, Encouragement, Faith, Life, Sermon

24 Hours of Jesus: Arrest and Betrayal

“Nothing good happens after 2 a.m.”

Have you ever heard of that saying? It is a classic idiom often passed along to youth and young adults to remind them to be cautious of their actions, especially once evening gives way to the early morning. The idiom is based on the belief that the later it gets the more likely we are to make bad choices of judgment and do things we may later regret. As well, the more likely we can find ourselves in challenging or difficult situations.

Not that I am ever guilty of making such poor choice of judgment late in the evening. I did, of course, attend West Virginia University, which is known as a quality institution that does not support things like couch burnings or late-night campus parties.

What we hope for with this saying is that it will reminded us all that our choices have consequences. Those of us who have uttered this saying to our children or those who we are in ministry with desire that it would lead someone to make sound decisions and wise judgments. Continue reading “24 Hours of Jesus: Arrest and Betrayal”

Christian Leadership, Christianity, Culture, Devotion, Encouragement, Faith, Life, Sermon

In the Garden

When we last left Jesus on that fateful day that would change the world, we experienced a time of fellowship around the table in the Upper Room. Jesus and his disciples gathered to share in the traditional Passover feast that remembered how God rescued the people of Israel out of Egyptian slavery. It was an intimate time of fellowship and the last time all 12 of the disciples would dine with Jesus before his trial and crucifixion.

This morning, we pick up the journey to Golgatha sometime after midnight on Friday morning. Jesus and the disciples departed from the Upper Room sometime after the final hymn was sung in the Passover celebration. Now there are only 11 disciples around Jesus. Judas Ischariot abandoned the group, while they were still in the Upper Room, to continue his plot to turn Jesus over to the religious authorities. It won’t be long before the remaining 11 will also leave Jesus’ side.

For now, the disciples are with Jesus as they leave Jerusalem and head towards a familiar place. They walk to the Mount of Olives, which was a location of importance for Jesus’ ministry when he was in Jerusalem. Located near the town of Bethany, the Mount of Olives was where Jesus expressed his grief regarding Jerusalem’s plight. It was a place of teaching and where Jesus rested during his time in Jerusalem. Continue reading “In the Garden”

Christian Leadership, Christianity, Culture, Devotion, Encouragement, Faith, Life, Sermon

Fan or Follower: Followers Love All People

We live in difficult and challenging times. Everyday we are bombarded with images and news stories that remind us that the world that we live in has become unfamiliar to so many of us. We live in a time that is filled with disagreement, frustrations, violence, and pain. Much of these things we have experienced, not only on a personal level, but also on a societal and cultural level.

Part of the reason for this is that what we so often focus on are our differences. We live in a time of political polarization that, for more than 25 years, has created deep divisions within our culture based upon the ideas we hold dear. We live in a time in which racial, cultural, economic, and geographical differences continue to be boundaries that prevent true relationships. Even within our churches, our theological perspectives, worship traditions, and other practices sometimes prevent us from working together as one body in Christ’s love. We live in challenging times that are unlike any that we have known in our lifetimes. Continue reading “Fan or Follower: Followers Love All People”

Christian Leadership, Christianity, Culture, Public Theology

What Does Genesis Really Tell Us?

When I was learning to become a journalist, I was often told that a good story would answer all of the most important questions. Every story and interview, then, would attempt to uncover the who, what, when, where, why, and how of a certain event or topic. As a reporter, I took seriously this role provide all the answers to all of our questions.star-forming-region-1600

Part of the reason reporters are fascinated with getting the answers to our questions is that we wanted to uncover as much truth as possible. There was also another reason for this. We recognized that people have a thirst for knowledge and want answers to their questions. People want to know why things are the way they are or what caused certain things to happen.

This is true for many aspects of our lives, whether it is a proposed piece of legislation or trying to determine if a certain athlete will win an Olympic medal. It is also true when trying to figure out how this universe came to exist and how we got here. We want all of our questions answered about creation and the universe. Continue reading “What Does Genesis Really Tell Us?”