Change does not happen from the center. It happens, almost every time, from the edge. The center may hope for and call for change, but here’s the problem with that: it… read more

Where did we ever get the notion that certain people—created out of the same substance as the rest of us—could be considered “undesirable” in the church?… read more

It has been almost ten years since I tried an experiment among the students in my Christian Social Ethics class. I wrote two dates on the board: 9/11 and 11/9. Then I asked the… read more

My great-grandfather used to repeat a rather irritating and somewhat tactless joke. You could depend on hearing it when out for a drive. If Gramps passed a cemetery, he would … read more

Some years ago I served on a regional credentialing board of my denomination. Our primary task was interviewing candidates for ordained ministry, and I actually had the audacity… read more

Why is human trafficking wrong? This question runs the risk of offending people. Those familiar with human trafficking or contemporary slavery seldom approach the issue this way. … read more

Summer is the time for ministry conferences, conventions, regional gatherings, and those endless displays and information fairs. Take some time to walk through the arenas, the… read more

My very first pastorate was a set of three churches who had just voted to merge together. I was an unlikely person to walk with them down the difficult road of merger. I came from … read more

What is Christian holiness? For many, holiness is a kind of goodness they can never reach. For others, it is a religious doctrine once taught and now forgotten. For most, it is… read more