Posts
I’m Saying Goodbye to White Jesus
Growing-up I had an image of Jesus; I’m talking about a literal picture that graced our family room, my Catholic school hallways, and the homes of most of the Christians I
Dear God, From A Doubting, Grieving Christian
Dear God, Not sure where to start here… I was going to try and soften things up front, to sort of ease into this but then I realized with you being
In Gun We Trust (America’s Deadly Equality)
A black man slumped over the front seat of his car after a routine Wednesday traffic stop in Minneapolis. A white police officer laying in the street following a peaceful Thursday protest in
White Voices About White Racism Matter to Black Lives
If Alton Sterling and Philando Castile were white they would still be alive today. White people need to admit this. We need to stop rationalizing the killing of young black men
Why Christians Need to Pray Less
I’m so tired of Christian prayers. I imagine God is too. I’m quite certain the people we so readily say that we’re praying for are tired of them: Praying for
The Privilege of Mental Health
. Take a second and think about your day… How did you feel? Were you relatively comfortable within your skin? As you made your way out of bed did you do
No, God Doesn’t Bless America
God doesn’t bless America. No, this isn’t the kind of inflammatory, fear-fueled threat that lots of Evangelical pastors prefer to major in these days. It’s not some doom and gloom,
The Church Beloved: A Manifesto of LGBTQ-Affirming Christians
A new Church is coming, or rather with each passing day it is becoming; person by person being renovated. Heart by heart it is waking up. For a long time
Miss the Dead, Not the Living
I really miss my dad. Since he passed away suddenly almost four years ago, the grief of losing him has been a constant companion, always lurking just out of sight, waiting
The Christian Right Sleeping With the Enemy
To paraphrase P.T. Barnum, “There’s a sucker born again every minute.” Two years ago, according to a roomful of dewy-eyed pastors and fawning televangelists who met behind closed doors with GOP
Video Message: “Is the Table Really Big Enough?”
Hello Friends, On June 19th I had the pleasure of bringing the message to the good people of MissiongatheringCharlotte. MGCLT is an incredible new Progressive Christian community in the NODA area
Is There a Christianity That Isn’t Toxic? (Guest Post by Morgan Guyton)
Have American Christians become what Jesus came to stop us from being? It’s not an unreasonable question after decades of toxic culture war. Growing up Southern Baptist, I used to
Thanks, Obama
Dear President Obama, History usually has a way of revealing the truth. Like the sun gradually coming up and burning away the morning dew covering everything, the unfolding years chase away the
Gun Apologists, Shove Your “Thoughts and Prayers”
Well, another month here in the Land of the Free. That means another mass shooting and another round of funerals for our brothers and sisters taken in the middle of radiant, beautiful
Church, Here’s Some Good News and Some Bad News
Shift happens. I have some good news and some bad news about the Church. There is a movement happening in these days. It is undeniable. If you open your eyes you
The Rainbow Phoenix (A Defiant Love Response to Orlando)
Dear Hurting Friends, It can be so easy to be fooled by the pain of these days, to be tricked into believing that hope has departed for good, but do
If You Really Give a Damn About the LGBTQ Community
(Original publish date: June 16, 2016) Less than a week ago my phone was on fire. A blog post I’d written on the Stanford rape case had gone fully viral that morning,
The Forgotten Children Killed in the Pulse Shooting
49 children were murdered in a night club in Orlando. 49 sons and daughters, carried in the swollen bellies of mothers who waited breathlessly for them to arrive. 49 nurseries prepared
So When Exactly CAN We Talk About Violence?
America, we need to talk. We need to talk about a lot of things right now. We need to talk about homophobia, and transphobia, and gun violence, and assault weapons, and the NRA, and
Rape Should Never Be Viral (Fighting Sexual Assault Beyond What’s Trending)
One morning last year I woke up and was told I was trending on Facebook. A day earlier I’d written a blog post response to the father of a college student
To Brock Turner’s Father, From Another Father
Dear Mr. Turner, I’ve read your letter to the judge on behalf of your son Brock, asking for leniency in his rape conviction. I need you to understand something, and
Of Course You See Color When Looking at People—or at Least You Should
Every time I hear a white person tell me that they “don’t see color”, I know that they’re likely either lying or kidding themselves. I try very hard to see color
5 Truths to Help You Not Lose Your Soul or Your Mind on Social Media
Social media is my home and my workplace. As with many people, I live a good portion of my waking moments here, engaging, writing, responding—virtually existing. As fruitful as it can
A Conversation With Grief
Ah, there you are! Damn it all. Well, that’s a funny way to greet a friend! Friend? That’s a laugh. You know, I was having a perfectly nice day. No one
I’m Saying Goodbye to White Jesus
Growing-up I had an image of Jesus; I’m talking about a literal picture that graced our family room, my Catholic school hallways, and the homes of most of the Christians I
Dear God, From A Doubting, Grieving Christian
Dear God, Not sure where to start here… I was going to try and soften things up front, to sort of ease into this but then I realized with you being
In Gun We Trust (America’s Deadly Equality)
A black man slumped over the front seat of his car after a routine Wednesday traffic stop in Minneapolis. A white police officer laying in the street following a peaceful Thursday protest in
White Voices About White Racism Matter to Black Lives
If Alton Sterling and Philando Castile were white they would still be alive today. White people need to admit this. We need to stop rationalizing the killing of young black men
Why Christians Need to Pray Less
I’m so tired of Christian prayers. I imagine God is too. I’m quite certain the people we so readily say that we’re praying for are tired of them: Praying for
The Privilege of Mental Health
. Take a second and think about your day… How did you feel? Were you relatively comfortable within your skin? As you made your way out of bed did you do
No, God Doesn’t Bless America
God doesn’t bless America. No, this isn’t the kind of inflammatory, fear-fueled threat that lots of Evangelical pastors prefer to major in these days. It’s not some doom and gloom,
The Church Beloved: A Manifesto of LGBTQ-Affirming Christians
A new Church is coming, or rather with each passing day it is becoming; person by person being renovated. Heart by heart it is waking up. For a long time
Miss the Dead, Not the Living
I really miss my dad. Since he passed away suddenly almost four years ago, the grief of losing him has been a constant companion, always lurking just out of sight, waiting
The Christian Right Sleeping With the Enemy
To paraphrase P.T. Barnum, “There’s a sucker born again every minute.” Two years ago, according to a roomful of dewy-eyed pastors and fawning televangelists who met behind closed doors with GOP
Video Message: “Is the Table Really Big Enough?”
Hello Friends, On June 19th I had the pleasure of bringing the message to the good people of MissiongatheringCharlotte. MGCLT is an incredible new Progressive Christian community in the NODA area
Is There a Christianity That Isn’t Toxic? (Guest Post by Morgan Guyton)
Have American Christians become what Jesus came to stop us from being? It’s not an unreasonable question after decades of toxic culture war. Growing up Southern Baptist, I used to
Thanks, Obama
Dear President Obama, History usually has a way of revealing the truth. Like the sun gradually coming up and burning away the morning dew covering everything, the unfolding years chase away the
Gun Apologists, Shove Your “Thoughts and Prayers”
Well, another month here in the Land of the Free. That means another mass shooting and another round of funerals for our brothers and sisters taken in the middle of radiant, beautiful
Church, Here’s Some Good News and Some Bad News
Shift happens. I have some good news and some bad news about the Church. There is a movement happening in these days. It is undeniable. If you open your eyes you
The Rainbow Phoenix (A Defiant Love Response to Orlando)
Dear Hurting Friends, It can be so easy to be fooled by the pain of these days, to be tricked into believing that hope has departed for good, but do
If You Really Give a Damn About the LGBTQ Community
(Original publish date: June 16, 2016) Less than a week ago my phone was on fire. A blog post I’d written on the Stanford rape case had gone fully viral that morning,
The Forgotten Children Killed in the Pulse Shooting
49 children were murdered in a night club in Orlando. 49 sons and daughters, carried in the swollen bellies of mothers who waited breathlessly for them to arrive. 49 nurseries prepared
So When Exactly CAN We Talk About Violence?
America, we need to talk. We need to talk about a lot of things right now. We need to talk about homophobia, and transphobia, and gun violence, and assault weapons, and the NRA, and
Rape Should Never Be Viral (Fighting Sexual Assault Beyond What’s Trending)
One morning last year I woke up and was told I was trending on Facebook. A day earlier I’d written a blog post response to the father of a college student
To Brock Turner’s Father, From Another Father
Dear Mr. Turner, I’ve read your letter to the judge on behalf of your son Brock, asking for leniency in his rape conviction. I need you to understand something, and
Of Course You See Color When Looking at People—or at Least You Should
Every time I hear a white person tell me that they “don’t see color”, I know that they’re likely either lying or kidding themselves. I try very hard to see color
5 Truths to Help You Not Lose Your Soul or Your Mind on Social Media
Social media is my home and my workplace. As with many people, I live a good portion of my waking moments here, engaging, writing, responding—virtually existing. As fruitful as it can
A Conversation With Grief
Ah, there you are! Damn it all. Well, that’s a funny way to greet a friend! Friend? That’s a laugh. You know, I was having a perfectly nice day. No one