Between Two Worlds
I grew up on a small ranch in Northern California. My mother, who was raised in rural Tennessee and loved the land, managed the ranch and home. My father was an Appellate Court Judge in …
Christianity
Dual Citizenship: What Does it Mean to be a Christian and a Citizen of the United States?
One of my Facebook friends posted a rather bizarre photo a couple of years ago. He and his sons professed a fervent evangelical Christian faith, as well as a strong dedication to the “Tea Party” …
Caring Without Credit: A Posture of Humility
A few years ago, I attended a birthday celebration for a loved one with family and friends. One of the women at the party was known to have been battling a serious case of breast …
Why Does Jesus Need a PR guy?
I teach a class called Art and Christian Faith. We talk about a lot of issues in that class that live at the intersection of art, the church, and culture more broadly. The class is …
A Call for Christians: Challenge Hell’s Native Tongue by Telling the Truth About American History
In my 7th-grade history class, I was taught that American slaves were treated well by their masters and that most of them preferred life on the plantation to freedom. This obvious lie was among several …
A Merciful God for a Complicated People
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8) When this verse is presented in church, the skeptics in the room immediately wonder what happened between the God who commanded his people to …
White Jesus: Is it a Symbol of the Church’s Hate That Needs to be Toppled?
As an Artist, Arts & Religion Scholar, Christian, and Hispanic who has been vocal about racial issues, I received messages and comments from friends when Shaun King’s tweeted a few years ago, arguing that statues …
Authority: Why I Have Faith in the Bible’s Authority
I posted a simple thought about scriptural authority on Facebook the other day: “I believe in the authority of scripture. What I question is the authority of your interpretation.” This is a thought I’ve had …
Why I’m Not Tempted to Apostate
I hope this title is appreciated and that the article is appreciated at least half as much as the title. I enjoy approaching serious subjects with a casual, Kermit the Frog tea sip before I …
What’s in a Term: What is a Christian?
“What is a Christian?” I feel that I could have confidently answered this question just a few years ago with an orthodox list that outlined the historical Christian faith. I would have adequately provided Scriptural …