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You never know the day your life will change—or the person who will change it. For me, her name was Om Hassan. I was 23, an American soldier…
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Five Reasons Christian Parents "Lose" Their Children
By Yaholo HoytIt is a great anxiety of Christian parents; wondering if their children will grow up Christian, or if they will stay Christians as they move into their own adult lives.…
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Love is the Root of All Evil
By Morf MorfordThere is probably nothing considered more mundane, but in reality more dangerous, than the study of words and how we use them. As any gun rights advocate would remind us;…
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Caught in the Act: Reputation and Relationship
By Mal GreenThe seemingly relentless litany in recent church history of high-profile and no-profile Christian religious leaders being caught in the act of spectacularly transgressing some aspect of their own Judeo-Christian moral…
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When Revolutions Become Religions
Young and old, rich and poor, and people from every social, economic, political and cultural background are starting to rethink their faith. A fresh movement is happening, and in its…
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The Lie of Gun Right's Advocates
The big lie is being exposed finally. Gun rights advocates continue to say they want their guns for sport, and self defense from all the criminals and mentally ill out…
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Abercrombie And Fitch And Homelessness and You
Recently, the CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch said in an interview that he only wanted “thin and beautiful” people to wear his clothes, which is why the largest woman’s size…
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Confusion and Certainty about God
I’m not a very deep thinker. When I was growing up in Dallas, there was a D.J. on WRR named Jim Low. One of his tag lines was “even nonconformists…
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Jesus Is Against the 2nd Amendment
By Art HaywoodSix month old Joniyah Watkins was shot and killed while sitting on her father’s lap in Chicago on 11 March in a drive by shooting. A gun is used in…
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I Have Some Bad Habits
By Nikole LimI have a bad habit. On lazy mornings after my alarm clock goes off, I get back into bed and check up on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. I usually fall…
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The Cost of Being Poor
It’s expensive to be poor. “The poorer you are, the more things cost. More in money, time, hassle, exhaustion, menace” says the Washington Post. Most of us wouldn’t be able to…
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Why I’m Not Spending Mother’s Day With My Children
This Mother’s Day will be the first one in fourteen years that I won’t be spending with my children. Assured by my kids that they could do without me on…
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Are You Lonely?
By Micah BalesI recently read a post by Suzannah Paul, in which she reflects on her own experience of living in a culture of isolation. She describes the present era as one…
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Corrective Strategies and Themes for Understanding the Book of Revelation (Tired of the chaos? Me too!)
By Kurt WillemsAfter my most popular status update ever affirmed it a few months back, I’ve decided to do some intentional thinking about the book of Revelation. These posts will be scattered…
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“I am a sexual predator. I need help.” Ariel Castro
By Morf MorfordLike everyone else I would guess, I have been horrified, appalled and spiritually and emotionally paralyzed by the news regarding the recent rescue of the three young women in Cleveland.…
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The 6 Best Things About American Christianity
When it comes to American Christianity, we often see the worst in ourselves. We’re cynical, overly critical and depressed about our shortcomings. Apocalyptic sermons warn us that the end is…
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Radical Theology: The New “White” Religion?
I’ve experienced some strange extremes lately. First, I attended – and spoke at – the Subverting the Norm conference in Springfield, MO, where we took some time to consider how,…
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The 6 Worst Things About American Christianity
America is wonderful! We have religious freedom to express our beliefs and worship according to our preferences, but there are also very distinct problems associated with American Christianity. Here are…
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EXECUTION HALTED: Willie Jerome Manning
THIS JUST IN…. Within hours of his scheduled execution, Willie Jerome Manning’s death was stopped. The Mississippi Supreme Court (the same court that denied DNA evidence in a split 5-4…
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The Temple: What Will Be Our Standing Legacy?
By Morf MorfordWhen I see one of the magnificent historic temples or cathedrals, in all of its opulence and ornate craftsmanship, I am astonished, humbled and even thrilled by its, literally, transcendent…
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Dr. Vincent Harding, MLK & The One’s We’ve Been Waiting For (with AUDIO)
Who are we building into? Who are we teaching what we’ve been taught? I ask this of us as I think of someone who last year had a profound effect…
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Upon the Walls of Palestine
I have walked the length and breadth of many a wall over this past year but there are three that stand out decidedly more than all the others. They are…
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Execution Alert: Willie Jerome Manning
A Mississippi man is scheduled to be killed Tuesday (May 7) at 6pm. In a last minute 5-to-4 vote, the courts denied DNA testing that could prove his innocence. Willie…
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The Demonization of 'Terrorism'
Co-authored by Cyrus McGoldrick The recent explosions at the Boston Marathon and subsequent media coverage exposed yet again a dangerous trend in U.S. culture: rushing to judgment in labeling and…
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When Christians speak of violence in Islam
By Dan MartinThe recent bombing attacks in Boston have once again raised the cry across the internet, rehearsing the perceived violence of Islam. In several recent discussions, Christians have repeated the mantra…
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Why Be Proud of Jason Collins?
By Kathy VestalNo one is proud of Jason Collins for being gay. Being gay or straight, black or white, male or female, left-handed or right-handed, blue-eyed or brown-eyed, is no reason for…
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NBA Player, Jason Collins, Comes Out
By Andrew MarinLate Monday morning my Twitter feed started blowing up with news that NBA player Jason Collins became the first active player on a major men’s sports team to come out. You can…
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Remember Guantanamo Bay?
I had a chance to meet with some of the folks who have served as mediators to Guantanamo Bay prisoners… and I am deeply disturbed by what I am learning.…
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How Much Money Does it Take to Be A Good Christian Woman?
When I was in my twenties, I attended a “Bible” study on how to be a Good Christian Woman. Good Christian Women, I was told, stayed home with their children.…
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"Gun Control… Woopty Doo?"
“Woopty Doo?” John Howard on Gun Control. from John Beohm on Vimeo. — Jarrod McKenna is amazed by grace. A peace award winning nonviolence trainer and activist, Jarrod is now World…
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8 Things I Know For Sure about Prayer
By Kay CampbellSo what, asks a friend of mine, should he do about Facebook requests of this nature: “I had thyroid surgery yesterday at UAB. Please pray that it will be benign.”…
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Guns, Sex, and the Total Depravity of Everyone Else
If I were a non-Christian looking from the outside in, I don’t think it would be unreasonable to think that American Christians’ two highest priorities right now are keeping the…
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What Am I Supposed To Call God?
By Micah BalesWhen I was a student at , school policy was that in our written and oral contributions to our classes, worship and community life, we should do our best to…
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Be Ready to Be Changed
We have a group at our church that does a weekly sandwich ministry together. Though we already had a group that makes sandwiches each week for a local shelter, another…
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Should Christian Women Color Their Hair? On Dissatisfaction, Cultural Conformity, and Battling the Inner Barbie
A couple weeks ago, I had about a foot of hair cut off my head. When you’re the busy mother of four, and have the sort of Hermione-meets-Rapunzel hair that…
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North Korea may bomb the hell out of us and blow us to smithereens, yet we will cling to the instability of hope
By Kurt WillemsAt the moment, I have the unfortunate luck to commute about an hour to and from work every day. Don’t get me wrong, I love my current job and realize…
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A Christian Response to Terrorism
Pray: #Prayer is suddenly all over Twitter, social media and the news, and our culture seems to uncharacteristically crave the necessity of supernatural goodness when faced with evil—and so should…
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Today We Pray for Our Enemies
By Jon HuckinsIt is in times and tragedies like those that happened in Boston that our call to pray for our enemies is most difficult. May we be faithful to pray for…
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Why I've stopped saying 'We are a nation of immigrants'
“We are, after all, a nation of immigrants.” It’s a line I’ve used as almost a stock answer to individuals putting down Mexican immigrants living in the United States. My…
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Cure for the White Savior Complex
“Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending. You plan a tower that will pierce the clouds? Lay first the foundation of humility.” St. Augustine of Hippo We have all…
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Hell and the Love of God (Pt. 2 of 2)
Author’s Note: I was invited to participate in a debate as part of Oregon State University’s Socratic Club series. The topic was “Hell and the Love of God.” I debated…
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Hell and the Love of God (Pt. 1 of 2)
Author Note: I was invited to participate in a debate as part of Oregon State University’s Socratic Club series. The topic was “Hell and the Love of God.” I debated…
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My Journey Out of the Religious Right (VIDEO)
Here’s my lecture: Frank Schaeffer: My Journey Out of the Religious Right from Bruce Prescott on Vimeo. And the Q&A after: Questions and Answers with Frank Schaeffer from Bruce Prescott…
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My Brother, Compassion, Gay Marriage, and Me
By T.C. PorterA group of us from various churches began doing Sunday differently. As an act of worship we met in cafes and other public places, picking up trash, socializing and serving…
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Was Jesus Efficient Enough?
In a business-driven culture obsessed with success, Christians are often tempted to apply secular business models to their spiritual faith. With around 40 hours of our week spent working, our…
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Funeral Grace
By Morf MorfordNot long ago I attended a funeral for a sixteen year old boy.* He was a student at the school where my wife is a teacher. I’ll call him Maxie.…
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The Pain of Moving Forward
Too many of us walk with no limp. No scars nor broken bones. We have not seen the dark of night nor stood against its cold shoulder. We are comfort…
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Is Hell for the Rich?
Jesus shared a parable that seriously calls everything we think about hell into question. It’s the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31. Frankly, I think any…
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Put Your Guns Away…
But Jesus told him, “Put your sword away! Anyone who lives by the sword will die by the sword.” Matthew 26:52 Jesus said this to Peter just after Peter had…
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Money is our Language and our Love
By Micah BalesIn our modern society, it is almost impossible to survive without money. The use of money has become an inescapable aspect of our daily lives. To secure food, shelter, utilities,…
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Christians Pray Over Enbridge Pipeline
By Will BraunThe liturgy was as peculiar as the location. Sixty of us stood in a snowy ditch a mile north of North Dakota. We stood next to an Enbridge pumping station,…
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The Humility and Grace of Foot Washing: Pope Francis and Me
It takes humility to serve others, but sometimes it takes even more humility to allow others to serve you. Pope Francis created quite a stir during Holy Week when he…
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Jimmy Carter vs. the SBC/Driscoll/Victoria’s Secret: A Sea Change?
Jimmy Carter offered an open letter a few years back (republished this week by Women’s Press HERE) explaining why he is divorcing himself from the Southern Baptist Convention after six…
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Get Off the Opium
“Religion is the opium of the people” is Karl Marx’s famous quote. A contemporary, Charles Kingsley, Canon of the Church of England, followed with, “We have used the Bible as…
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The Age of Intimacy – A different look at our cultural struggle over sexuality
By Yaholo HoytWhen Alfred Kinsey first published his work in 1948, it was the first time society really began to face its sexual condition. This spark continued into a blaze, spawning what…
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Binary and Quantum Morality: Two lads, a prostitute, morality and quantum computing
By Mal GreenA recent article I wrote on Redemptive Morality made reference, in passing, to the current marriage equality debate raging in much of the English-speaking, Western world. Almost all the comments…
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Are there Any Solid Arguments Against Same-Sex Marriage?
By Morf MorfordOur current cultural discussion of same-sex marriage is peculiar on many levels. It is not at all like our usual political, social or philosophical upheavals with the predictable ideological fault…
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Why Google’s “War on Easter” is offensively Christlike
Yesterday was Easter. It was also Cesar Chavez’s birthday. Google decided to put Cesar Chavez’s face on its search page today and all hell broke loose among the professional agitators…
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Am I a Christian Bigot?
When Christians engage in culture wars, theology can quickly transform into bigotry, and the gospel of Christ is often abandoned for a spirit of hatred, bitterness and judgmental accusations. As…
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Taking Good Friday Liturgy to the Streets
Liturgy and worship were never meant to be confined to the cathedrals and sanctuaries. Liturgy at its best can be performed like a circus or theater – making the Gospel…
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Another Baptist for Marriage Equality
By Jill McCroryTuesday morning I was walking from the Interfaith Service for Love and Justice toward the Supreme Court with fellow clergy members singing “This little light of mine, I’m going to…
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Where Have all the Penises Gone?
I am writing this from Rome, the epicentre of the empire that was. Today was spent walking around Vatican City, the religious epicentre of the empire that was. Aside from…
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Supreme Court Debates Same-Sex Marriage – Should We?
By Micah BalesI was raised in a household that was openly affirming of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered folks long before that was commonplace in American society. In the early 1990s, I…
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Jesus, at Least, Opposed the Death Penalty
In an act that echoed the backroom negotiations of Temple court lawyers 2, 000 years ago, Senator Thom Goolsby (R-New Hannover) pushed a bill through Senate committee on Tuesday of…
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RLC Reader Reflects on Same-sex Marriage Cases before the SCOTUS
By RLC EditorA regular RLC reader sent in their thoughts on the landmark same-sex marriage cases before the Supreme Court today and tomorrow. We are publishing their thoughts with their permission: SCOTUS…
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In the Midst of Tension and Challenges, Community Presents Unexpected Gifts
By RLC EditorOver the past 20 years the notion of and attraction to community has altered. And no one has experienced it more than Chris Heuertz. He was mentored by Mother Teresa,…
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Is Preaching Nonviolence Bad for Evangelism?
By Kurt WillemsMany in the evangelical realm, especially pastors and lay leaders committed to church growth, believe that proclaiming the revolutionary vision of nonviolence and Kingdom allegiance is antithetical to evangelism. In…
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Update: Duane Buck on Death Row
Our brother Duane Buck, known as “Preacher Buck”, is facing the death penalty in TX, but a movement has risen up to stand against it. Here’s the petition: www.change.org/petitions/harris-county-district-attorney-mike-anderson-grant-duane-buck-a-resentencing-hearing Above…
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The F Word Part 2
By AnonymousFirst off, let me say how much I appreciate the encouraging comments—it means a lot, more than I can explain. It’s a bit strange laying out the most intimate parts…
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A Church In Recovery
By Micah BalesI just read a really solid blog post from James Tower, a seminary student at George Fox Evangelical Seminary in Oregon. He writes about his lifelong experience of recovery from…
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Another Gospel: Salvation is Not the Purpose of Faith
By Morf MorfordHuman history could easily be defined as the study of the human evasion, distortion and avoidance of the claims, character and calling of Christ. If there had never been anything…
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What does Micah 6:8 really mean?
Many U.S. evangelicals engage Scripture from a hermeneutic of privilege today, which at best fosters a vague comprehension of Christianity. This privileged reading of Scripture allows believers to envision ourselves…
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Picking Up My Drum: what this white guy learned from Uncle Richard
I’m sitting here in seat 27B, about 35, 000 feet over the Dakotas, coincidentally the land the late Richard Twiss grew up on. I’ve just spent an emotionally exhausting weekend…
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Remembering Gordon Cosby, a Secret Legend
Wednesday, I woke up on the first day of Spring to the news that our brother Gordon Cosby died. Here’s the message from the community there in DC: It is…
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Humankind Water – Part of the Solution on World Water Day
By RLC EditorIn advance of World Water Day, we had the opportunity to sit down with TJ Foltz, the President of Humankind Water, an unconventional company which exists entirely to be a…
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INTERVIEW: Rob Bell on Why He Supports Gay Marriage
By RLC EditorOur friends at Odyssey Networks recently sat down with Rob Bell to discuss his statement in favor of gay marriage. “What we’re seeing right now in this day, I believe…
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The Economy and a Pair of Shoes
The other morning, after dreaming to the tune of the constant patter of rain on the tin roof of my house, I woke early to enjoy a morning stroll through…
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My Frustration with Bell, Clinton and Obama on Marriage Equality
I know this may not be a popular position to take among my readers. After all, the last time I wrote anything even remotely critiquing or questioning Rob Bell, I…
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The Reason: Answering the Question, "What Am I Meant to be Doing?"
NOTE: Andy expounds on his new song “The Reason” below the music video I meet so many people, young men in particular, who spend much of their twenty-something lives asking…
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Was the Iraq War Worth It? A Christian Reflection for the Tenth Anniversary of the Invasion
With the arrival of the tenth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq many are asking, “Was it worth it?” As one who publicly opposed the war in the pulpit, in…
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Your Privilege is Showing
By Morf MorfordAlmost every day it seems, another politician or public figure ‘changes’ their position on what had been, until that time, a ‘moral issue’. The ironies abound, but the self-serving cowardice…
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Five Questions From the Steubenville Rape Case
(Note: This post contains some frank and graphic discussions of sex and sexuality.) Two boys from a Steubenville Ohio high school (I’ve opted not to use their names, though they…
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RIP, Rob Bell
Some evangelicals are now not only saying, ‘Farewell, Rob Bell’ but actually declaring him dead to evangelicalism. RIP, Rob Bell. As if the ‘Love Wins’ controversy wasn’t enough, in the…
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We Can Live the Love We See in Jesus – Lent Week 4 SERVICE
As we approach Easter this lent we think of our own participation in mobs that need victims to find their identity. We think about how Jesus takes the place of…
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The F Word
By AnonymousEditor’s Note: Reaction was so strong to this anonymous piece that the author penned a Part 2. You can read it here. I grew up reading comic books; it was…
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For the American part of me…..I Am Sorry (My Confession)
By Matt YoungA couple of weeks ago Joel McKerrow shared an amazing post , “For the Christian part of me…I am sorry“. It is one part of a four-part artistic video series in which…
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You can’t fall off the floor – and other profound and perhaps obvious life lessons
By Morf Morford“You modern men, you children of reason, cannot begin to appreciate love as pure bliss and divine serenity.” ― Leopold von Sacher-Masoch “It’s not the laughter of someone who claims…
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Just In: Maryland to Abolish Death Penalty!
THIS JUST IN… Big news. Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley is poised to sign a bill to abolish the death penalty in the state. Earlier today the state legislature passed the…
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Pope Francis: A Social Justice Pope?
By Micah BalesThe resignation of Pope Benedict XVI made it clear that we are observing a pivotal moment in church history. Benedict has self-consciously acted as a transitional pope, living to see his own…
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Redemptive Morality: Non-Traditional Marriage and Les Mis
By Mal GreenEvents over the past few months in the United Kingdom, United States, Australia and New Zealand have aroused corporate and individual outpourings of moral angst from Christians concerned at the…
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Pope Francis Calls Out the Church
Only a day into his papacy, and I’ve got to admit, Pope Francis has my attention. In an editorial piece on the Sojourners website today, Jim Wallis cited a surprising…
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Ten Years Later: Remembering Iraq
By RLC EditorSubversive Interfaith Friendships in a World at War THE GOSPEL OF RUTBA: War, Peace, and the Good Samaritan Story in Iraq Media contact: Will Bower of Allen Media Strategies will@allenmediastrategies.com / 202-365-2536 In…
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The Meaning of Violence
I believe every act of violence is also a message that needs to be understood. Violence should not be answered just by greater violence but by real understanding. We must…
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What If Jesus Was Serious?
By Matt YoungThe other day I had a thought. It was birthed out of my browsing and random readings of the ramblings of fellow bloggers/kingdom of God expounders. The thought: What if…
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An Open Letter to Tim Tebow
By Emily TimbolTim, I’ve been following your career for years—but not by choice. I went to Bartram Trail High School in Jacksonville, the rival of the school you later played football for,…
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The Necessity of Suffering – It must go through the cross
In this past month my family and I have been journeying through a real stressful time. For the past month I have been house bound recovering from serious spinal surgery.…
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Two Afghan Kids Killed by NATO Troops
Horrific news from our friends in Kabul. Last weekend 2 kids, age 7 and 8, were killed by NATO forces while herding cattle in the Uruzgan Province in Afghanistan. The…
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Reversing Exclusion of the Other
God dignifies all of humanity, and asks us to do the same. Even (perhaps especially?) those who are different. Tracing the overarching narrative of scripture, one can see even in…
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For the Christian part of me…I am sorry
I stood at the back of the bar and listened to the lament of the poet. A sorrowful keening of being misunderstood, of being told that who he was simply…
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Our Words & The Living Word
By Micah BalesOne of the greatest strengths of the Quaker tradition is that each of us is encouraged to discover the risen presence of Jesus for ourselves. It is not enough to read about…
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RAWtools: AK47s into Farm Tools
Saturday afternoon at The Justice Conference, we transformed a semi-automatic weapon into garden tools. Watch it happen: Our Mennonite blacksmith friends, Mike and Fred, have been inspired by the “beat your swords…