Category Archives: Christianity and Culture

Car Theft and Ball Theft – A Story of Systemic Racism

Posted on June 2, 2020 by

Maybe this story of two incidents in the same week from my years as a Juvenile Probation Officer will help folks understand how structures and systems that perpetuate white privilege work, and why we need to work to change them: … Continue reading →

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Why This Pastor Speaks about Racism

Posted on June 1, 2020 by

On Facebook, someone asked me why I posted about racism. Isn’t it a pastor’s job to be uplifting? Here is my response (slightly edited) . . . Racism is evil, even demonic. If followers of Christ do not confront evil, … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Living, Christianity, Christianity and Culture, Church, Racism | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

“It Is Very Biblical to Enforce the Law”

Posted on June 15, 2018 by

The Bible according to the Jeff Sessions/Sarah Sanders interpretation of Romans 13: – Hebrew women, including Moses’ mom, should’ve turned over their babies to the Egyptian authorities because of God’s “clear and wise command in Romans 13 to obey the … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Christianity, Christianity and Culture, Political | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Review: Paul, Apostle of Christ

Posted on April 10, 2018 by

I have been posting brief reviews of films on my Facebook page, but am going to start posting them here as well. I welcome your comments, especially your disagreements (which are much more interesting than agreement, but those are welcome, too). … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts and Culture, Christianity, Christianity and Culture, film, Movies, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Resurrection in That Place Past Hope

Posted on February 20, 2018 by

(Adapted from a sermon preached February 18, 2018, at Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church of Millersville. You can listen to a podcast of the sermon here. The sermon text is The Raising of Lazarus, John 11:1-44.) When Jesus finally got to … Continue reading →

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Fear of God, the Grand Canyon, and Aslan

Posted on February 8, 2018 by

Yesterday’s post, “Why Are Atheists So Bad,” catalyzed a great discussion involving Christians and unChristians on my Facebook page. Discussion is the best result I can hope for from a post. One of the topics of that discussion was the … Continue reading →

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Why Are Atheists So Bad?

Posted on February 7, 2018 by

You know that saying about how there are no stupid questions? There are exceptions . . . A Facebook friend posted a link to this query on the Quora  question and answer website:  This may sound naive, but what keeps … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Living, Christianity, Christianity and Culture, Church, Lutheran Theology | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Strength in Weakness

Posted on January 31, 2018 by

This line from the State of the Union Address has me thinking this morning: “Weakness is the surest path to conflict, and unmatched power is the surest means of our defense.” Those words remind me why Christianity – faithfully following … Continue reading →

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“Fear Not” – The Angels’ Prescription for the (White) American Church

Posted on December 21, 2017 by

This time of year we sing “Joy to the World.” But if we’re honest, we’ll acknowledge that too often what we bring to the world is fear. The Washington Post published a prescient article this week by Charles Mathewes, a professor of … Continue reading →

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The Celebration of Christ’s Birth Asks for Divorce

Posted on December 18, 2017 by

Dear Secular Christmas, It’s time for a divorce. Time for Secular Christmas and The Celebration of Christ’s Birth to make a clean break. We have tried so hard to make this marriage work. But this is no longer a partnership. … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Living, Christianity, Christianity and Culture, Christmas | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment