Politics and Culture
Halloween
Growing up in Christianity, we’ve always had an uneasy relationship with Halloween. Our family never took the extreme position of declaring it totally off limits and “the devil’s holiday.” We typically handed out tracts and candy to kids who came by. On the other hand, my parents felt that “trick-or-treating” was something they’d rather not…
Read MoreFriday Five Interview – Michael Gerson and Peter Wehner
Today I’m highly honored to have two distinguished men stop by the blog for this very special Friday Five interview. We’re less than two weeks before the midterm elections and so thoughtful people of faith on both sides of the political divide will go to the polls and help shape their government. So I thought…
Read MoreKids These Days . . . .
In the last month or so, I’ve had a chance to speak to a few different groups of Christian teens, from Christian school kids, to home-schooled kids, to groups of youth group/public schooled Christian kids. I have to say that while the settings were vastly different, there is a theme that emerged for me that…
Read MoreRush, Biden and the Bible
Ahh, its political season and so the mudslinging continues. Rush Limbaugh calls the President all kind of unflattering names. Vice-President Biden says he wants to strangle the Republicans. So the question is this. How should Christians react? More than once this year I’ve heard people defend outbursts like Rush Limbaugh’s or something provocative that Sarah Palin might have said.…
Read MoreBook Review – City of Man
Younger generations of evangelicals are wrestling with the proper way to engage in the political arena. As a one-time political activist and now a pastor, I have personally felt the tension between radical engagement and radical withdrawal. At times I have felt Christians have been too passive and at times (lately), I have felt that…
Read MoreMy Surprising Experience with Glenn Beck
Finally Hearing Beck So, believe it or not, I went and heard Glen Beck speak live this past Saturday night. If you know anything about me, you’ll know that over the last couple of years, I’ve become less focused on politics and more focused on ministry. I’ve also grown disinterested in the shouting, debates, and…
Read MoreTo the Church: You Will Prevail – Eighth Letter Project
I submitted the following letter to The Eight Letter Project. It’s a letter to the North American Church: Dear Church in North America, I write to you at a time of severe duress, when many are beating you up. You’re the object of endless handwringing inside your walls. Much is being written and said about…
Read MoreSpare Me the Outrage
Of course the whole world was caught up in this goofy flag-burning story. As of Thursday night, 5 pm Central Time, it seems God has allowed this to be redeemed for His purpose. I hear the pastor is flying to NY and there is some sort of agreement that the mosque in NY will be…
Read MoreFriday Five Interview: Tullian Tchividjian
Its a great privilege to interview Tullian Tchividjian. William Graham Tullian Tchividjian (pronounced cha-vi-jin) is the Senior Pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Tullian comes from a very famous family. He is the grandson of Billy and Ruth Graham. I first learned about Tullian Tchividjian after reading his terrific book, Unfashionable: Making…
Read MoreA Response to Rachel Held Evans
So right before my wife and I left for Colorado Springs for a pastoral retreat, I read Rachel Held Evans post on the blog at onFaith. I read it with interest, because it seemed to “represent” all next generation evangelicals. I wrote a response post questioning why the prolife cause has been so out of…
Read MoreThrowing the Prolife Baby Out with the Rhetorical Bathwater – A Response to Rachel Held Evans
I read with interest the semi-biographical piece written by Rachel Held Evans posted on the Washington Post’s On Faith blog. Like Evans, I’ve grown up in the evangelical Christian subculture and have experienced its excesses. Like Evans, I’m a thirty-something Christian communicator who probably sees the world a bit different than previous generations. Like Evans,…
Read MoreA Response to Bruce Baker on the Ground Zero Mosque
Since I posted my opinion on the Ground Zero mosque, I’ve had conversations with many well-reasoned Christians who have come down on both sides. And I read a very articulate editorial by STan Guthrie of Breakpoint. Stan’s point essentially is that resisting the building of the mosque at its exact location is within the preview of American…
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