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Editor’s Note: This article first appeared in Religion News Service on July 15, 2024. Did God save the former president, but not those who died instead? (RNS) — I’m…
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In God’s Hands
The following reflection is based on the story and paintings found in Rebecca J. Craig’s memoir, “Once Upon a Nightmare: Through the Looking Glass of Narcissistic Abuse” available now on…
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Made in the Imagination of Love
I love God. I just don’t trust God. The god of conditional promises. Of quid pro quo practices. Of formulaic certainties. The sow tithes and reap rewards god. The attend-church-worship-pray-read-bible-to-live-a-fully-blessed-life…
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Christian Leaders from Around the Country Read Frederick Douglass’ 1852 speech “WHAT TO THE SLAVE IS THE FOURTH OF JULY”
By RLC EditorEditor’s Note: originally published on the RLC Blog on July 3, 2021. One-hundred and seventy-two years ago tomorrow, abolitionist, writer, and statesman Frederick Douglass gave a speech to the 600…
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RAW Tools 44K Countdown 2024
By RLC EditorOn Saturday afternoon, June 29, RawTools finished the marathon, forging over 44,000 minutes, 1 minute for each life lost to gun violence in 2023. Matt Clarady was a big part…
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UPDATE: RAW Tools 44K Countdown 2024
By RLC EditorSo far, after day 26, 38,140 minutes of forging have been logged, and below are a few more images of the creations formed from the efforts of the highly skilled,…
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Meeting Christ in my Neighbor at the Intersection
“If you eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you will surely die”. When I was taught the story of Eden as a child I remember…
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The Aftermath of Coming Out
By Jenn ZatopekLast year I penned my first essay about the wonders of queer joy, coming out publicly as a bisexual woman living in Texas. The essay was well received, first by…
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Stop Grasping for Power – Start Reaching for One Another
By Jer SwigartOn October 13th, after six days of navigating bomb shelters in Jerusalem, I arrived at Logan International Airport. As I shuffled toward customs I watched the sunrise over Boston. I…
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RAW Tools 44K Countdown 2024
By RLC EditorSo far, after day 19, 31,822 minutes of forging have been logged, and below are a few images of the creations formed from the heartfelt efforts of the RAW Tools…
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The Lesson of the Eunuch
Photo credit: “The Baptism of the Ethiopian Eunuch by the Deacon Philip”, by Lambert Sustris (between 1545 and 1550) When discussing queer inclusion with Christians, a common refrain is that…
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Who is Worthy of Honor?
Black people have never known honor on U.S. shores. From the auction blocks to the voting booths, honor has been as elusive to us as reparations for hundreds of years…
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A Prayer for Pride Month
God, it’s Pride Month, and a lot is going on. Pride Month is always busy for the LGBTQIA+ community, whether we are attending parades and festivals, creating good trouble at…
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An Invitation to Believe in Love
This song was inspired by a small event, an almost chance meeting, twelve years ago. “John and Josie – a true story” was written about an intimate interaction, a moment…
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A Time to Speak
Last Sunday, I found myself brushing shoulders with a crowd of ardent demonstrators. On the streets of Krakow’s Old City, the shoe-polished roads glistened in the light rainfall to the…
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Forgiveness is a Miracle
At our last Pastors, Priests and Guides retreat, we stumbled upon the seismic, nuclear power of a simple spiritual practice. It surprised, provoked and unlocked us, cracking open a door…
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The United Methodist Church Divests from Israel
By Joel SimpsonOn April 30th, the United Methodist Church (UMC) officially voted to divest from Israel because it is an occupier country, taking and occupying Palestinian land. The denomination also voted to…
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Becoming a Prophetic Voice, Excerpt
By Jenai AumanA friend shared the most liberating truth that helped me find freedom in letting my tears fall and my voice cry out. She said, “God can handle your angry words…
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Differentiating Between the What and the How
Editor’s Note: Written by Alan Yarborough and originally published on May 2023 on ECF Vital Practices here. Reposted here with permission. “Fight for the things that you care about, but…
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Fight Wealth Not Poverty
Editor’s Note: Originally published on Plough.com as Fight Wealth, Not Poverty, April 22, 2024. Used by permission. After decades serving the poor, I’ve realized that the problem and the solutions lie closer to…
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A Time is Coming and Has Now Come
By Alex AwadThe writer of the Gospel of John offers his readers an amazing conversation that took place in what we call today, the West Bank (the Palestinian territory west of the…
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RAWTOOLS NATIONAL 44K EVENT
By RLC EditorRAWTOOLS NATIONAL 44K EVENT – JUNE 1- JUNE 30 Guns to Garden Tools Livestream Blacksmith Marathon in Remembrance of Over 44,000 Individuals Lost to Gun Violence in 2023 Beginning Saturday…
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Celebrate Pride Month
By RLC EditorJune is Pride Month, and as Red Letter Christians, we affirm and celebrate the image of God in all our LGBTQIA+ siblings. We stand in solidarity, honoring their dignity and…
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Joyful Noise
“But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and do not stop them, for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.” (Matthew 19:14) The…
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Pentecost and Ruth: Reflections on Supporting the Marginalized Among Us
“When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and…
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“Fully Alive: Tending to the Soul in Turbulent Times”, an Excerpt
A few years ago, I was driving along a motorway with my husband and kids. It was hot and the air was stale, my passenger-seat compartment strewn with tepid water…
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Fighting to Love Christ’s Church, excerpt from “The Hope in Our Scars”
By Aimee ByrdFighting to Love Christ’s Church, by Aimee Byrd Author of The Hope in Our Scars: Finding the Bride of Christ in the Underground of Disillusionment Zondervan, May 7, 2024 I…
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Man Enough to Ask For Help
Editor’s Note: This first appeared on the RLC blog on Oct 10, 2018. From the time I was a kid, I had been taught that being strong meant that you…
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4 Reasons Evangelical Men Enable Abusers
By Ryan GeorgeMy story could easily be very different. I grew up in an Independent Fundamental Baptist Church, and I was in my 30s when I learned that my father, also my…
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Finishing the Race: Advocacy for the Global Fight against HIV/AIDS, TB, and Malaria
When I was a little girl, probably 11, I sat cross-legged on the floor in front of the podium at Belmont Church to hear a special guest speaker, Tony Campolo.…
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Salt of the Earth
By S.M. ReedEditor’s Note: originally posted on 3/28/24 at The Jaded Evangelical blog. The following blog post was originally posted on my blog, “Letters to the Jaded Evangelical”. The blog is geared…
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The Myth of Silence
By Joel SimpsonA teacher once gave a balloon to all of his students, told them to blow it up and write their names on it. Then, he had them throw the balloons…
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It’s Complicated: A Different Liturgy for Mother’s Day
Editor’s Note: This piece initially posted on the RLC blog on May 6, 2020. You don’t need me to tell you that Mother’s Day is complicated for many. A two-second…
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Praying with Mary, through Mary, for Hurting Mothers of War
I am not a Catholic, but I’m praying to Mary … with Mary, through Mary … for the Mothers of Gaza. I am not a Catholic. In fact, I was…
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The Gospel with a Humanizing Instinct
By Mal GreenAn acquaintance from my evangelical past recently posted on social media the fable of Einstein as a young university student undermining the arguments of an atheist professor. The first comment…
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Despair in the Holy Land
By Thomas ReeseEditor’s Note: This article first appeared in Religion News Service on April 29, 2024. (RNS) — It is easy to despair over the Holy Land. For almost 80 years it…
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Burnt Out for Jesus?
It was 2019. At work, I was newly-appointed to my role and trying to lead a national communications department of a Christian missionary organisation through significant change. At home, I’d…
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Response to: “A Call for Repentance: An Open Letter from Palestinian Christians to Western Church Leaders and Theologians”
October 20, 2023, a network of Palestinian Christian institutions located throughout Israel/Palestine published “An Open Letter from Palestinian Christians to Western Church Leaders and Theologians.”—a clarion call for Western church…
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The Ballot and the Movement: Reflections on the Uncommitted Movement
By Phil LewisMany of us have heard about the recent movement in the Democratic presidential primary to encourage voters across the country to vote uncommitted. There are several news articles discussing what…
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“For Love of the Broken Body: A Spiritual Memoir” Excerpt
Being a Sister is a form of radical discipleship of Jesus Christ, I figure. It is how I can live in a committed intentional community long-term with like-minded prayerful, Gospel-centered women;…
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Lectio Tierra – Praying in Nature
Have you had your awe and wonder sighting for today? If not it’s time to go out and take notice. Our daily experience of life, God and God’s world are…
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Addiction and the Ministry of the Body of Christ
Every morning, I wake up and read the obituaries. That may seem like an odd way to greet the day, but I am a pastor who has a deep calling…
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“Isolated and Othered”, Adaptation from “Beyond Ethnic Loneliness”
Adapted from Chapter 4, “Isolated and Othered” “Pick a color,” she said. “Write down your color.” I was at a writers’ workshop in Minnesota, and this was our prompt. I…
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The Terrifying Truth
By Joel SimpsonShots fired in the hallway. People screaming. One class can’t lock their door, so they block the entrance with furniture. The door gets kicked in. Eventually, the shooter is stopped. …
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Israel’s Conscientious Objectors Stand on the Shoulders of Giants
By Ariel GoldEditor’s Note: This piece was previously published on the FORUSA.org website and is reprinted here with permission. According to legend, the organization I lead, the Fellowship of Reconciliation, was founded…
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Three Years Ago We Stopped Harper Collins/Zondervan from Publishing the “God Bless the USA” Bible
By Jemar TisbyEditor’s Note: This piece was first published on Jemar Tisby’s Substack, Footnotes by Jemar Tisby, on March 27, 2024 and is reprinted here with permission. The disturbing origins of this…
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Marriage, Sex, and Jesus
Sometimes I’m hesitant to post my wedding anniversary celebrations on social media, fearing I may be sending the unintentional message of “See? We did it right. You should be like…
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Josh Garrels and the Cowardice of Evangelicals
By Brian GormanIn this article, I discuss how a prominent Christian musician’s trajectory away from engagement in the world is emblematic of a growing part of moderate evangelicalism. In June 2008, I…
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Good Trouble on Good Friday, Part 2
Editor’s Note: You may wish to enable captions on the video. TRANSCRIPT: We got into good trouble on Good Friday. Twenty-five people were arrested for a nonviolent direct action…
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The Symptoms of A Nation Approaching Spiritual Death
When we recognize that something which impacts anyone of us can quickly impact all of us, we know everyone must learn the signs of what the disease looks like before…
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Highlights from “MLK 55 Years Later: Can the Church Study War No More?” 2022 Event
We are up against some fierce principalities and powers – the triplet evils of racism, materialism, and militarism are as alive and well as they were 55 years ago. But…
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America is exceptional — in its addiction to violence and war
We have work to do to continue to “break the silence.” As our world is increasingly plagued by violence — not just in Ukraine but also in the streets of…
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We Shall Not Be Moved: a Reflection on Good Friday 2024
As a soldier I do not have the luxury to disconnect myself from the impact of America’s weapons on people. The death that happens to those at the other end…
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What would (those who crucified) Jesus do?
By Morf MorfordIt would be easy to make the argument that Christianity in the 21st has taken on an identity few of the original disciples would recognize. Or maybe they would recognize…
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Good Trouble on Good Friday
We got into good trouble on Good Friday. Twenty-five people were arrested for a nonviolent direct action at the headquarters of Lockheed Martin, the world’s largest weapons contractor, where the…
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Easter Vigil for Gaza, Bethlehem, March 30th, 2024, Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac
By RLC EditorRed Letter Christians was honored to participate in a special Easter Saturday service broadcast LIVE from Bethlehem. Our friend Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac preached a powerful sermon. Here’s the transcript…
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“Pretend Catholics”
On St. Patrick’s Day, I was invited to a White House brunch to celebrate with President Biden and Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar. As the fourth son of Irish Catholic…
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Palestinian Christians Make an Easter Call for Relief from War’s Tightening Grasp
Editor’s Note: This article first appeared in Religion News Service on March 29, 2024. (RNS) — Palestinian Christians, a community that dates back to Jesus’ time, have long lived under the…
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March 2024 Global Christian Leaders Call for Permanent Gaza Ceasefire
By RLC EditorEditor’s Note: Churches for Middle East Peace distributed the following press release on March 26, 2024, and we share it again below in its entirety. The full letter and list…
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Discernment in a Time of Deception: Learning from Simeon to Identify & Receive the True Savior
By Bob EkbladLuke’s Gospel presents a man named Simeon as the first to identify Jesus as the world’s consoling, Savior King. In alignment with the Magi of Matthew’s Gospel, who follow a…
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If Heaven is anything…
By Morf MorfordThere’s a popular social media meme with a photo of a dour, even judgmental, crowd facing the viewer with a caption like “Spending eternity with people like this doesn’t have…
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A Second Chance Should Be Our First Choice with Prison Reform
Editor’s Note: This piece was first published by NewsOne on March 6, 2024. Republished here with permission. August 2024 will mark two years since my daughter, Michelle was released from…
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Hide and Seek Jesus
By S.M. ReedThe following blog post was originally posted on my blog, “The Jaded Evangelical”. “The Jaded Evangelical” is part devotional and part Christian apologetic, aiming to encourage those who have walked…
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For Boodah…
What does the enneagram have to say about a grown man who takes the time to put a tutu on a chihuahua? The stars, how about the stars? I wonder, what…
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Red Letter Christians sends $130,000+ to Gaza and the West Bank for Humanitarian Relief and Peacebuilding Efforts
Red Letter Christians, a Christian organization mobilizing a movement of believers who live out Jesus’ counter-cultural teachings, raised and disseminated over $130,000 for humanitarian relief in Gaza and to support…
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Are You Asking For Trouble?
This article was first published by Good Faith Media and is shared with permission. What has the North American church gotten itself into? Known more for infighting, schisms and splits,…
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Adaptation from “Enduring Friendship”
Adapted from Chapter 7, “Excuses” For years, Bible scholars have danced around the matter by saying slavery in Rome was far different from slavery in the first few centuries of…
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Gun Violence and Mental Health
Kansas City recently had yet another horrific mass shooting. On the same day there were two more mass shootings in Georgia, one in Atlanta and one in Claxton. According to…
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Tears of Gold: Portraits of Yazidi, Rohingya, and Nigerian Women, an Excerpt
Content taken from Tears of Gold by Hannah Rose Thomas, ©2024. Used by permission of Plough Books. Excerpt from the Foreword One of Hannah’s aims is to capture not only…
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An Unforgiving Christian, excerpt from “Forgiveness after Trauma”
The summer I turned nineteen, I felt a need to reckon with someone who had both harmed me deeply and done much good in my life. I decided to set…
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Commentary on Dorothy Day’s article, “Suicide or Sacrifice”
Dorothy Day’s article, “Suicide or Sacrifice”, was previously published by The Catholic Worker on November 1, 1965 and is reprinted with permission. On November 9, 1965 Roger LaPorte, a young…
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Two Names to Remember of the 30,000 Killed
One of the most powerful elements of the GazaCeasefirePilgrimage.com movement globally is hearing from the Palestinian Christian minority, like our new friend, Cami. You may remember, the week before Christmas,…
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How an MMA Fighter Became a Pacifist
By John JensenHow an MMA fighter became less violent I learned a few things since I knew it all! After years of starting churches, leading alternative worship events, living in Christian community,…
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A Tribute to Constantine
The Emperor Constantine was born on February 27 in the year 272 AD. There are parts of the Church that honor him as a saint… so this feels like a…
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For Love of the World God Did Foolish Things
For love of the world God does foolish things is my theme for Lent this year. It came from the fact that Ash Wednesday coincided with Valentine’s Day this year,…
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Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimage, Philadelphia
By RLC EditorAs Mary wept over Christ’s body, this Lenten season we are all mothers in Gaza weeping over the dead — over 30,000 killed since October 7, 2023 — senselessly from…
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Lent 2024 – Surprising Hope
Transcript of Jarrod McKenna’s Lent reflection on Isaiah 42:1-4 for Common Grace’s 2024 Lent Series Bible Verse – Isaiah 42:1-4 Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one…
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God, Money, and Provision
By David TitusSeveral years ago, the Bible story of John sending his disciples to ask if Jesus was the one…. caught my eye in a new way. Luke 7:22b – Jesus tells…
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“How Ableism Fuels Racism” an Excerpt
On September 12, 2001, I had an encounter with police that could have ended far worse than it did. The tension was high that day. Terrorists had attacked our country…
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Expanding Our Scope: Land as a Means for Repair through Equitable Development
By Cote SoerensExcerpt by Coté Soerens from Gone for Good? Negotiating the Coming Wave of Church Property Transition (Eerdmans Publishing, January 2024), Mark Elsdon, editor. Reprinted with permission. Expanding Our Scope: Land as…
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Christianity and Human Rights: Back to Basics
In this piece I reflect on the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and conflicting notions of Christian Theology that have recently threatened it. Human Rights are…
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In Between A Rock Is A Hard Place
I love the Psalms because the conversations shared are raw, uncensored, uplifting, and reassuring. They model the brutal honesty we can boldly and safely have in our relationship with a…
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A High Churchman Feels the Spirit Moving
There was to be no clapping in church. No clapping during music. No clapping when a child was baptized. No clapping when an award was presented or when a couple…
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Appraisal and Critique of Deconstruction Movement
Personal Appraisal Shared Values Base skepticism, critical questioning, cultural criticism, and having the courage to speak truth to power are all values that I share in common with contemporary deconstructionists.…
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Deconstructing Deconstruction: Why Is Deconstruction So Popular?
Why are so many people my age deconstructing Christian belief and practice? The Main Reasons for Faith Deconstruction Idealism and Perfectionism: Much of this comes from the church itself: spiritual…
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Deconstructing Deconstruction: What Is Deconstruction?
The animated Disney film Wreck-It Ralph draws an interesting contrast between two leading characters: Felix and Ralph. In the arcade game Fix-it Felix Jr., the passionate and quick-tempered “Wreck-It Ralph” demolishes buildings with his…
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‘The Bible belt is a death belt’ Why Christians must drop the death penalty
First published on January 29, 2024 by Premier Christianity: The UK’s Leading Christianity Magazine. Reprinted with permission. Alabama has executed convicted murderer Kenneth Eugene Smith with nitrogen gas, the first…
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A Response for Palestine and Israel
By Bob BowenKnowing how to respond to the current crises in Gaza and Israel is a challenging task. As a Christian, my call is to overcome evil not with evil, but rather…
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We Theologized Hate
In honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day – here is an excerpt on antisemitism entitled “We Theologized Hate” from Rethinking Life by Shane Claiborne. Reprinted with permission. We all have prejudices,…
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Dr. Jeff Hood in conversation with Shane Claiborne about Kenneth Smith’s Execution
Join us in conversation with Dr. Jeff Hood who was the spiritual advisor to death row inmate Kenneth Smith who was executed Thursday, January 25, 2024, with nitrogen gas by…
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Faith is a Verb
By S.M. ReedEditor’s Note from the author, S.M. Reed: “The following blog post was originally posted on the blog, “The Jaded Evangelical”. “The Jaded Evangelical” is part devotional and part Christian apologetic,…
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prayer (xxvi) …for Munther Isaac and Gaza…
prayer (xxvi) …for Munther Isaac and Gaza… this year, the child will be found swaddled in rubble. soft infant flesh surrounded by rough slabs and crumbling. do not neglect the…
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135 Mennonites Arrested in Washington Singing for Gaza Ceasefire
135 Mennonites arrested in Washington Singing for Gaza Ceasefire 200 attend peace vigil while 135 arrested at Capitol On January 16, 2024, hundreds of Mennonites and interfaith allies from across…
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Roe v. Wade Anniversary
On January 22, 1973, the US Supreme Court decided in Roe v. Wade that a mother has the legal right to end her pregnancy up until the point at which…
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Another Way is Possible
By Mike MartinFrank Jonas, a firearms dealer for Remington once said, “We certainly are in a hell of a business…A fellow has to wish for trouble so as to make a living,…
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For This Christian, Christmas Services This Year Left a Taste of Bitterness
As a Singaporean who has lived overseas for the past decade, coming home for Christmas is always a special time. I love seeing friends and family, basking in the celebratory…
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In Honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.
By RLC EditorOn January 15, 1929, Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia. In celebration of his contribution to the civil rights movement, the United States Congress made the third…
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Dialogue on the Middle East, Part 3
Excerpt from Red Letter Revolution by Tony Campolo and Shane Claiborne. Reprinted with permission. TONY: I was on a radio show in New Zealand with a Christian Zionist who believes that…
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Dialogue on the Middle East, Part 2
Excerpt from Red Letter Revolution by Tony Campolo and Shane Claiborne. Reprinted with permission. TONY: To call Israel and Palestine “the Holy Land” is a misnomer when what goes on there…
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Dialogue on the Middle East, Part 1
Excerpt from Red Letter Revolution by Tony Campolo and Shane Claiborne. Reprinted with permission. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom … these are the beginnings…
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Church for ‘Nones’: Meet the Anti-dogma Spiritual Collectives Emerging Across the US
By Kathryn PostEditor’s Note: This article first appeared in Religion News Service on December 20, 2023. ATLANTA (RNS) — Twenty minutes outside downtown Atlanta, Vinings Lake sits along a humming thoroughfare connecting…