Meeting God with anger during our long Lent
I stand in front of the priest, waiting. Grinding a thumb into a container full of black dust, she reaches up and makes two marks on my head, one down, the other over. “Remember you …
Christianity
Exvangelical: Not a journey, but a day
I’ve been in the world for thirty years,And I must have traveled a million miles.Walked by rivers where the green grass grows thick,And entered the frontier where the red dust rises.Purified potions in vain search …
God’s Agent of the Autocratic State: Franklin Graham
The GOP Reinvents Itself Though I’ve brokered many disappointments in the last ten years, none has been so acute as seeing roughly half my friends and extended family members exchanging the “compassionate conservatism” for which …
Are You Okay?
“Are you okay?” Reportedly, those were the last words of Alex Pretti as he sought to protect two women who were being assaulted by government agents. I am not okay. No one should be okay …
My Deliverance from a Cult: From Primal Scream to Christ
In 1974, before my senior year at Cornell University, five dormmates and I decided to live off campus. An acquaintance had a rented house and needed five roommates. He seemed like a great guy, but …
A Triumph of Love
My last essay, A Birthday (and Holiday) Lamentation, was a very personal exploration of some serious challenges in my life currently. It is a hard and sad post. Yet, there is hope. My wife, Pamela, …
God Had a Different Plan: From Threat to Gospel
I am a Jewish believer in Jesus, and in 1982 I was working with Jews for Jesus at their Toronto branch. Toronto has a large and strong Jewish population. Many of them were not happy …
10 Christmas Quotes
For Christmas this year, I decided to gather ten Christmas quotes from some of my favorite ministers and theologians. As I was putting them together, I realized that they were all from different denominations and …
Why everyone’s gifts matter
The Christmas classic The Little Drummer Boy, while a catchy tune, doesn’t have its origins in the biblical narrative, but in the mind of composer Katherine Kennicott Davis, who penned the song in 1941. And …
Stories about Trump’s Son Being Close to Salvation are Gross
Over the last few days, I have seen story after story about how a pastor and TikToker has claimed that Barron Trump is close to salvation. I hope it is true that Barron is close …