Critics of religion often dismiss it as “extremist.”  I’ve come to concede that, in the case of Christianity at least, they are right. And nowhere is this extremism more blatant and offensive than during the seemingly benign season of Christmas.  And it should repel us–at least those of us who are truly sophisticated, whether conservative or […]

Read More An Advent meditation: extremism & privilege in the bleak midwinter

“If you boys don’t start behaving, I’m coming down there!” So my father had loudly promised one evening when I was young.  And my father kept his promises. Always. Growing up, I had both an older and a younger brother–there was a span of about 6-7 years on both sides. Which is to say that, prior to […]

Read More Advent, simply explained

For some of us, being with family over Thanksgiving and Christmas is an enjoyable and even energizing experience. But for many of us, even when we truly care for our family (be it the in-laws or our own), spending time with them over the holidays can be extremely challenging. In fact, it can bring out […]

Read More Loving difficult family members over the holidays

Like most people, I’ve got everyone from close friends to little known contacts and acquaintances as ‘friends’ on Facebook (and other social media). I truly enjoy when they share their opinions.  And in the days leading up to election day (and in the days since) many of them have taken the risk of sharing their opinions, frustrations, hopes, […]

Read More Before posting your opinion on Facebook, do this first.

Given the chaos and confusion of this election season, it may be helpful to pause briefly and ask ourselves a few clarifying questions, as we go to the polls next Tuesday. 1.  What was I expecting–and why? Wisdom is about understanding what the world is really like.  Scripture (and, therefore, not surprisingly, history) shows that rulers are, with a […]

Read More A few clarifying questions to consider before we vote

At lunch time two 7th-grade girls happened to walk into their school’s cafeteria at the same time.  While going through the line to get food, they each scanned the lunch tables, hoping to find a good place to sit.  They each spotted the same person, a popular cheerleader, sitting at the head of a table that was already […]

Read More The genius of Jesus’ ethic: selfish selflessness

When my wife reminded me–yes, she had to remind me–that my father was turning 70 this week, I couldn’t help but say, “Well, it’s about time! That man has been in his 60s forever.”  (My parents have become ageless to me.) What follows is my very inadequate attempt to celebrate my father, who today becomes […]

Read More An encomium for my father, at age 70

I had just spent a good 25-30 minutes pouring out my heart, staring at the floor in discouragement, tearfully sharing some very difficult and painful circumstances in my life at the time.  I looked up, probably for the first time in ten minutes, and noticed that Rick, my counselor, was crying, too. That meant a lot.  And along […]

Read More The best advice I’ve ever gotten

One hot summer Chicago evening, Chris Stedman was out bar-hopping with his fellow 20-something friends, when they heard some young men yell in their direction, “Fags! Repent!” As he recalls the encounter: “…as we approached a queer bar one humid August evening and prepared to pop, lock, and drop it, we were confronted by several […]

Read More How to tell a faithful pastor from a fake one (pt. 3)

If you had to choose only one word to describe who Jesus of Nazareth was, what would it be? The crowds of first-century Palestine actually enjoyed a measure of agreement in their answer: Jesus of Nazareth was a prophet. When Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”, they answered, “Some say John the […]

Read More How to tell a faithful pastor from a fake one (pt. 2)