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“Democratic Space” (excerpted from The Introduction) It was Martin Luther King Jr. who, in 1963, spoke to “the fierce urgency of now.” Now more than then, we need…
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Joy in Difficult Times
“I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” (John 15:11) Jesus speaks to his disciples about…
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Armageddon Is Not the Gospel
By Jer SwigartIn recent days, deeply troubling reports have surfaced from within the U.S. military. According to complaints from service members across multiple installations, some U.S. commanders have framed the war with…
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Storing Wealth: Luke 12:16-21
Excerpt from When Did We See You? A Lenten Exploration of Poverty & Wealth Many people don’t feel wealthy even if they have a comfortable income because of a modern…
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Look Up
By Rick HamlinSometimes Jesus can tell us something that can take us by surprise. I was sitting on the subway, and I picked a book out of my briefcase to read, not…
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The Principle of the Claim: Living in Constant Availability to Love
By JC SmithThere is a way of following Jesus that costs very little. It believes the right things. It uses the right language. It signals compassion without risking comfort. And then there…
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The Unedited Story: Why a Nation That Sanitizes Its History Cannot Repent
A few years ago, a neighbor invited me over to talk. His daughter had come home from school the day before, deeply upset, and he needed to tell someone what…
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War is a Sacrilege: Stop the U.S.-Israeli War Against Iran Now!
By Art LaffinDespite numerous calls for a diplomatic solution of the conflict between the U.S. and Israel with Iran since before last June’s attack of Iran by Israel and the U.S., the…
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Eloheh: Sacred Disruption and the Harmony Way
Looking out at Eloheh. Photo Credit: Jim Sequeira Indigenous Wisdom Offers an Alternative to Empire’s Greed and Speed Carl Jung once observed that the greed and speed of Western culture…
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War Is Not Just Killing Them. It Is Forming Us.
By Jer SwigartI received the news of the U.S./Israel attacks on Iran the way most of us do now: mid-sentence, mid-scroll, mid-life. When the headline surfaced, I felt that familiar tightening in…
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Community is Strength: We need a return to “fellowship” now more than ever.
For many of us who grew up in the Church, “Fellowship” was a common word used in our youths. You may have had a “Fellowship Hall” where the church gathered…
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Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit
“The people are in despair.” That’s all my friend said when he returned from Bethlehem. The words were few, but they were heavy. They fell like a stone in my…
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C.S. Lewis: His Great Psychological Insight & Spiritual Wisdom
For there are two things inside me competing with the human self which I must try to become. They are the Animal self, and the Diabolical self. The Diabolical self…
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The Leaven in the Loaf: How Jesus Named the Corruption of the Church—and Why We Refuse to Repent
By JC SmithThere is a reason Jesus warned His disciples to beware of leaven. Not because leaven is loud, but because it is subtle. Not because it explodes, but because it spreads.…
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Our Doubts Are Traitors
Shakespeare, Fear, and the Evangelical Reluctance to Reckon with Trump “Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.” …
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A Life Well-Lived: In Honor of Tony Campolo
Our treasured co-founder, brother, and friend, Tony Campolo would’ve turned 91 today. When he passed away in November 2024, we were planning his February 2025 90th birthday. Today we share…
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Sacred Marches and Sacred Music in a Time of Empire
(RNS) — Bad Bunny’s joyful Super Bowl halftime show, a group of monks walking hundreds of miles for peace, protesters singing in the streets. Editor’s Note: Previously published on Religion…
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400 Christian leaders urge resistance to Trump administration on Ash Wednesday
By Jack JenkinsWASHINGTON (RNS) — The statement’s signers include a mix of denominational leaders, seminary presidents, scholars and leaders of prominent congregations. Editor’s Note: Previously published on Religion News Service on February…
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An Open Letter to American Pastors and Preachers
By JC SmithYou were called to shepherd souls, not stabilize institutions, and yet somewhere along the way the care of living people was replaced with the maintenance of buildings, brands, reputations, and…
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A Call to Christians in a Crisis of Faith and Democracy
***URGENT APPEAL*** We are issuing a call to Christians across the United States: now is the time to speak and act. Our faith is being tested by injustice, cruelty, and…
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“Wisdom Literature”, excerpted from “Serving Up Scripture: How to Interpret the Bible for Yourself and Others”
Three books in the canonical Hebrew Bible are considered works of wisdom literature: Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes. In these books, “wisdom” is not aged experience or knowledge of scholarly tomes…
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Introduction to 40 Days 40 Ways
For hundreds of years, Christians around the world have celebrated Lent during the 40 days leading up to Easter. It is a time for reflection, repentance, and recalibrating the GPS of…
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Being Christian After the Desolation of Gaza, an excerpt
Introduction: The Wrong Sort of Christians Two Kinds of Victims It was early in February 2025 when the first foreign leader to visit Donald Trump during his second term as president arrived…
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Black history is America’s history
By Jim Wallis(RNS) — We still see efforts to roll back civil and human rights for Black people in America. Editor’s Note: Previously published on Religion News Service on February 13, 2026. (RNS)…
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Waters
We hear the voice of the prophet proclaim across the centuries, ‘Let justice roll down like waters.’ And we say ‘Amen,’ with our unexpectant, unperturbed voices. Then satisfied, we walk…
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“Follow Your Grief”, excerpted from “Turning Toward Grief”
By James CrewsFollow Your Grief, By James Crews Everyone says to follow your bliss, but what if, some days, you need to pull the shades, draw the covers over your head, and turn…
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Rag Tag Bunch
By Sue FulmoreOn Sunday I looked at the people in the seats all around me. We were a ragtag mix. From seniors with their walkers to the heavily tattooed couple; from those…
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“The Howard Thurman Question That Changed My Faith” excerpt from “Light For The Way: Seeking Simplicity, Connection, and Repair in a Broken World”
How the theologian and mystic called the American church back to Jesus. Seventy-four years ago, scholar, mystic, and pastor Howard Thurman gave a lecture series at Samuel Huston College (now…
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There Should Be No Poor Among You
By Morf MorfordIf there was one scriptural mandate many believers are willing to follow, it would be this one. But probably not how it was intended. There should be no poor among…
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Sacred Curiosity: Wondering Our Way Toward Wholeness , an excerpt
Introduction Outside, the summer air felt soupy and unstable, with the possibility of storms. Inside, clutching a rust-colored throw pillow and tissues, I watched heavy-bottomed raindrops begin to thud onto…
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Minneapolis changed me.
By Ariel GoldDear beloved friends, After the killing of Renee Good, faith leaders in Minneapolis issued a call. I went because ICE violence is escalating, because federal funding continues to fuel terror,…
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Staying Woke in Death
At the End of the Day As stated previously, as a minister of the gospel, a director of bereavement, and a chaplain within the health care system, I have been…
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Faith and Politics
By Morf MorfordWhy would we never talk about what is most important to us? It’s a cliché that many live by – don’t bring up religion or politics in polite company –…
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Faith On The Spectrum
By JC SmithFaith That Took Me Literally I didn’t choose this kind of faith — it chose me. I didn’t learn it in a classroom or from a pulpit. It was burned…
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“The Final Delusion, Pride to Humility”, an excerpt from “The Way of the Desert Elders: How the Wisdom of Ancient Christians Sustains Us Today”
The demon of pride conducts the soul to its worst fall. It urges it: First, not to admit (to having) God’s help; second, to believe that the soul is responsible…
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The Nationwide Day of Truth & Freedom
Tonight, I’m burning the midnight oil preparing my heart for the work ahead at the faith leaders’ protest in Minneapolis this week. I’m grounding my consciousness in the words of…
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A White, American Jesus
By S.M. ReedHe struck again. I was visiting another church yesterday in my never-ending quest to find one that is Evangelical, but that doesn’t bow a knee to Trump. The sermon series…
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Lost Shoes and Destiny
By Morf MorfordSometimes, usually in the most unlikely situations, I have an overwhelming sense that things are exactly as they should be. Editor’s Note: Previously published on Morf’s Substack on January 15, 2026.…
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“Why Do You Stare at Us?” An excerpt from “Misplaced Glory: Breaking the Spell of Pastor Worship in the Modern Church”
“Why Do You Stare at Us?” Excerpted from Misplaced Glory: Breaking the Spell of Pastor Worship in the Modern Church by Stephen White. Release date January 2026. Reprinted here with…
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‘Just Like Selma’ hymn project aims to help churches recall King, mark Black History Month
(RNS) — The new song’s composer thought it could be a way to again hear from Black churches, collectively, about civil rights. Editor’s Note: Previously published on Religion News Service…
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The US — and its churches — can’t look away from MLK’s warnings about power any longer
(RNS) — The celebration of King often comes at the cost of his most radical critiques. Editor’s Note: Previously published on Religion News Service on January 16, 2026. (RNS) —…
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Remembering Rev. Dr. 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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Tuesdays Against Executions: The Iran Crisis
Editor’s Note: Previously published on Death Penalty Action’s Substack on January 14, 2026. Normally, Death Penalty Action is focused exclusively on stopping executions in the United States, but every once…
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Stories of Faith and Religion, excerpted from “Everything is a Story”
One of the most profound television shows I’ve watched in the last few years on the struggle with religious identity is Vikings Valhalla, which tells the story of the complex…
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Can the Kingdom of God Come Over for Dinner?
“Pray, then, in this way: Our Father in heaven, may your name be revered as holy. May your kingdom come. May your will be done on earth as it is…
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Sola Verba Christi: Returning the Faith to the Words of Jesus
By JC SmithFor five hundred years, Protestants have rallied around the Five Solas — Scripture alone, faith alone, grace alone, Christ alone, and the glory of God alone. These principles were meant…
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Two Gospels, One Church: What “Wake Up Dead Man” Reveals About American Christianity
By Josh OldsTwo Gospels, One Church: What “Wake Up Dead Man” Reveals About American Christianity Rian Johnson’s latest “Knives Out” film pits faith as power against faith as discipleship—and makes clear which…
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Epiphany
Epiphany means “to make manifest.” By the fourth century, Epiphany was a major annual celebration for the church. It is a season when we see Jesus’ divine mission revealed when…
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“R” for Reprobate—But there are other “R” words
By Morf MorfordA generation or so ago, the term “reprobate mind” was common in Christian circles. It is telling that the term, for multiple obvious reasons, is not in widespread circulation currently.…
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Here We Stand: When the Innocents Are in Our City
By Carl RubyIn Springfield, Ohio, we are living through a moment that feels both ancient and urgently modern. More than 10,000 Haitian men, women, and children now call our city home —…
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Report of the December 29, 2025 Holy Innocents Commemoration Nonviolent Witness at the Pentagon
By Art LaffinFrom 7-8 AM this morning, 12 peacemakers from the DMV held a prayer service and nonviolent witness in proximity to the Pentagon to commemorate the Feast of the Massacre of…
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Watch Night, the Emancipation Proclamation, and a New Year
Watch Night and the Emancipation Proclamation Established in African American communities on December 31, 1862, Watch Night is a gathering to celebrate the Emancipation Proclamation becoming law. When the clock…
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Changed for Good? What “Wicked” Reveals About Privilege, Complicity, and the Work of Racial Reconciliation
By Josh OldsWarning: This article contains spoilers for “Wicked” and “Wicked: For Good”. Strip everything else away from the two Wicked films—the spectacle, the steampunk, the singing—and you’re left with the story’s…
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“The Wilderness is Not Safe”, taken from “Enough for Today,” Ch. 29
By Donna BarberThe path to freedom is not safe. Who has ever made their way from bondage to freedom without risk? There are always things to go under, around, or through. Barriers…
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Pope Leo’s first Vatican Christmas crèche carries message of peace
VATICAN CITY (RNS) — As the Vatican unveils its crèches, Pope Leo XIV marks his first Christmas with a calmer tone and a forceful call against antisemitic violence. Editor’s Note:…
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Born out of national division, ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’ is a balm for Christmas
(RNS) — A century and a half after Phillips Brooks wrote this haunting carol, there is much once again to lament, fear and grieve. Editor’s Note: Previously published on Religion…
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Children Behind the Walls: From Herod to ANAR
Week 4 Love Children Behind the Walls: From Herod to ANAR Bethlehem Is Not a Storybook: An Advent Journey Toward Peace “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and great…
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Sometimes Having a Baby Is Resistance to Empire
Week 4 Love Sometimes Having a Baby Is Resistance to Empire Bethlehem Is Not a Storybook: An Advent Journey Toward Peace The Birth of Love “And she gave birth to…
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What Time Is It: Ancient Strategies for Modern Battles
Editor’s Note: Previously published on Randy Woodley’s Substack on Jul 29, 2025. Photo: Tipi at Eloheh. Photo by Jim Sequeira. Our Indigenous ancestors had a saying that roughly translates to…
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“Viewing Urban Youth with Value”, adaptation from “Don’t Despise Our Youth”
Viewing Urban Youth with Value Our perspective of young people is very important. Proverbs teaches us to “start children off on the way they should go and even when they…
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Why Do Many Christians Devalue Conscience and the Fruits of the Spirit?
I practiced psychiatry for 41 years in Birmingham, Alabama and incorporated some spirituality focused on conscience. Most of my patients were Christians. This article is based on my impressions from…
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The Invitation of the Living Church in Bethlehem
Week 3: Joy The Invitation of the Living Church in Bethlehem Bethlehem Is Not a Storybook: An Advent Journey Toward Peace “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices…
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Mary: The Mother Who Sings
Week 3 Joy Mary: The Mother Who Sings Bethlehem Is Not a Storybook: An Advent Journey Toward Peace From Silence to Song “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit…
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When Bethlehem Weeps: An Advent Reflection on Gaza’s Christians
By Jack Nassar“A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted because they are no more.” Matthew 2:18 I cannot light…
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“Jubilee Economics: The Purpose, Practices and Possibilities for a Better Future”, an Excerpt
Biblical economics first caught my attention as I read about the brickyards of Egypt. Deprived of their livelihood, then their land, and finally their own labor and liberty, the Hebrews embodied loss…
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An Inescapable Invitation
We are, as Pierre Teilhard de Chardin observed, not human beings having a spiritual experience but spiritual beings having a human experience. The mystic awakening of our time is the…
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The Silent Saint
Week 2 Peace The Silent Saint Bethlehem Is Not a Storybook: An Advent Journey Toward Peace Dodging traffic in the winding streets of Bethlehem as I made my way toward…
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A Visit with the Shepherds
Week 2 PEACE A Visit with the Shepherds Bethlehem Is Not a Storybook: An Advent Journey Toward Peace The children squealed in delight as someone banged on the front door.…
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But who do I love? Absolutely everyone. But how? And what does that even mean?
Editor’s Note: First published on Public Theology with Zach W. Lambert on October 24, 2025. Years ago, I was sitting in the main session of a church leadership conference when…
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The Holy Door Portal
The Jubilee Year happens every 25 years in the Catholic Church. In ancient times it had radical ramifications with its call to free prisoners and forgive all debt. Today it…
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Hope Does Not Disappoint (Romans 5:5)
The Jubilee Year happens every 25 years in the Catholic Church. In ancient times it had radical ramifications with its call to free prisoners and forgive all debt. Today it…
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No Room at the Inn: Then and Now
Week 1 Hope No Room at the Inn: Then and Now Bethlehem Is Not a Storybook: An Advent Journey Toward Peace “In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that…
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Bethlehem is Not a Backdrop
An Advent Journey Join the Advent journey over the next four weeks, beyond pageants and nostalgia, and step into the heart of Christ’s coming. Discover how He still moves in…
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A Reflection from “Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals”
O Lord, let my soul rise up to meet you as the day rises to meet the sun. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy…
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“Peace, Peace” When There Is No Peace: Trump’s Dogs of War
Editor’s Note: Previously published on Randy Woodley’s Substack on October 28, 2025. The prophet’s job, then and now, is to speak the truth loud and clear about what we’re actually…
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Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples Pilgrimage: Relational Healing on Navajoland with Earth, Wind, Fire, Air
Featured Photo Caption: St Christopher’s Mission “Relational healing lives, on the landscape of St Christopher’s Mission through pilgrimage” In my faith journey as a Mennonite, I am aware of the…
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Candles and Concrete – The Birth of Jesus Today
If Jesus were born in Bethlehem today, His first cry would be inside a walled city. Mary and Joseph would travel a road divided by checkpoints and concrete, stopping again…
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“In the Low”, an excerpt
When the floor fell out from underneath our Family, I found myself left in the lurch by folks who’d told me they’d stick by me. I found myself waiting for…
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Who Do We Want to Be?
By S.M. ReedIn our country today, you see two very different visions of America emerging. There are many ways we could define this, but I want to focus on just one: immigration.…
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Tony Campolo on Red Letter Christianity
Listen to Tony discuss the ideas and scripture behind the Red Letter Christians movement.
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A Legacy Worth Passing On: Tony Campolo’s ‘Divine Dissatisfaction’
Editor’s Note: One year ago today, our friend and co-Founder of Red Letter Christians, Tony Campolo, passed away, and today, we honor his life with a few posts, and links…
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An Altar Call from Tony Campolo
Transcript: We are facing a problem and that is that we’ve run out of time, and we have to close this thing down. I was going to preach. I’m…
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Who is Welcome at the Table? Hint: It’s Everyone.
Editor’s Note: First published on Public Theology with Zach W. Lambert on September 9, 2025. When it comes to Jesus’ table, there has long been debate about who is invited…
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What If Friendship Isn’t the Goal?
By Jer SwigartEvery semester, I invite my leadership students to do something that feels both ancient and radical: take their “other” out to lunch. The instructions are simple: invite someone whose worldview…
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Why I Stopped Saying ‘I’m Christian Before I’m Black’ … My blackness is never at odds with my Christianity
By Jemar TisbyEditor’s Note: This article was originally published on Footnotes by Jemar Tisby, on October 21, 2025. At first I tried to ignore it. I had been here before. The same online debate seems…
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A Moral Appeal to Policy Makers and ICE Agents to Stop The Immigration Reign of Terror
By Art LaffinOn October 3rd, members of Pax Christi USA, along with Pax Christi Metro DC-Baltimore, the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker, Franciscan Action Network, Congregation Action Network, Sisters of Mercy of the…
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A Moral Meeting with Leader Hakeem Jeffries
By Joel SimpsonIn the midst of a government shutdown, clergy and people being impacted by healthcare cuts in the federal budget gather in the Capitol Building in DC. The halls are active…
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Human Suffering is Not a Political Pawn
By S.M. ReedI’ve written on my blog before about the necessity of the separation of church and state. It is truly to protect the Church, both from state influence and from becoming…
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The Communities We All Long For: Recovering the Shared Vision Beneath our Divisions
By Jemar TisbyEditor’s Note: This article was originally published on Footnotes by Jemar Tisby, on October 7, 2025. Morning light slips through your curtains, warming the comforter as you stretch awake—safe, rested, and…
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Not Out Front, But Among: Leadership in a Dividing Age
By Jer SwigartThe ground is shaking beneath us. Policies shift overnight. Communities fracture. Neighbors disappear. Congregations scatter. Leaders everywhere feel the pressure to respond: to rally the troops, cast the vision, and…
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Project Open Fridge: Love Beyond Walls Founder Dr. Terence Lester Takes the Refrigerator out of Kitchen in Unconventional Protest for Students Living in Poverty
As the recent U.S. government shutdown disrupts vital food assistance programs and November as National Homelessness Awareness Month, Love Beyond Walls announced the launch of Project Open Fridge, a campaign…
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Societal Collapse, Collective Psyche, and the Telos Adam
The following excerpt is adapted from the book, The Son of Man & Its Mystic Awakening: Reclaiming Eschatology & Atonement During A Convergence of Globalization, Nihilism, Science, and Spirituality, copyright…
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On Mount of Olives where Jesus Prayed, Monks and Nuns Keep Harvesting Olives
JERUSALEM (AP) — This year’s harvest happened as a ceasefire agreement was reached, spreading a tenuous hope for peace — peace that olive branches have symbolized since the biblical story…
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A Reflection for Halloween…
Before there was “Halloween”, there was “All Hallows’ Eve” — and All Saints Day. For hundreds of years, before jack-o-lanterns and zombies and candy corn, Christians around the world have…
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Unity or Uniformity?
A few months ago, a former classmate who is now a pastor reached out to me to ask my sense on a particular theological issue. I stated that one of…
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In ‘Dilexi te,’ Pope Leo presents early church as exemplar of love and care for poor
By Thomas Reese(RNS) — In Scripture and in the history of the church, the poor are where we encounter God, the pope writes in his ‘Dilexi Te.’ Editor’s Note: Previously published on Religion…
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Neuroscience, Mysticism, and the Cruciform Brain
The following excerpt is adapted from the book, The Son of Man & Its Mystic Awakening: Reclaiming Eschatology & Atonement During A Convergence of Globalization, Nihilism, Science, and Spirituality, copyright…
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“Pastoral Acedia” an excerpt from “Pastoral Confessions: The Healing Path to Faithful Ministry”
By Jamin GogginMy gray hair tells the story. I’ve been a pastor for twenty years. Long enough to know the trials of the vocation. Years of diligently preparing sermons, only to be…
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“The Father You Get: And the Ones You Make, Believe In, and Become”, an excerpt
By Patton DoddTo paraphrase Voltaire’s famous saying about God, if fathers did not exist, it would be necessary to invent them. And if the fathers who do exist do not father us—if…
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“Shoes: Things That Speak of Vulnerability”, an excerpt from “Souvenirs of the Holy: Encountering God Through Everyday Objects”
We all enter creation barefooted: slick and wet, covered in fluid from the primordial womb that births us. As we grow, our feet develop and change, allowing many of us…
