One of the most persistent criticisms of religious progressivism is that it is reactive, pushing back on (and sometimes warring against) older, institutional practices deemed out of date, unhelpful, and even unjust. And while there is some good to such a posture, it doesn’t constitute a full enough profile of leadership. In his book “The … Read More
My father over-identified with his work. It cost him his life. I’ve talked about that a lot since losing him, which happened 22yrs ago, today. Talking about my Dad’s overworking and depression was a warning to folks kind enough to listen. I also know I live with many of the same capacities for overwork and … Read More
1. Curse Of The Faithful I’m here. I’m always here. And you know that because you’ve tested me You know that that’s what’s best in me; That when it all breaks, I’m still holding on. There’s a story to tell About the houses that fellAnd the ones they left trapped underneath Who stood in their places With everything … Read More
It’s one thing to say “we’re in this together.” It’s another thing entirely to practice “belonging” and pay the kind of price required to actually broaden one’s tent; to include people who would just as soon exclude or eliminate you from the socio-cultural mix altogether. For many years now, Ben McBride has been doing the … Read More
This episode airs in February of 2020 and gyms all over the country are wrapping up their New Year’s deals to entice newcomers. It’s a poorly kept secret in the fitness world that most gyms (24 hr Fitness, Planet Fitness and the like) harvest the majority of their memberships in January and then.. come February … Read More
“Thank you,” at its root, isn’t just the acknowledgment of a goods/services exchange; it is the recognition that there is a person on the the other side of that exchange. The word “thank” shares a Latin root with the word “think.” That makes the phrase “Thank you” actually mean something more like “I think of … Read More
In a recent poll of Australians, 70% of those polled claimed to mistrust religious leaders. Of course, I don’t spend a lot of time searching Australian polling data. I saw this because I pay attention to author and missiologist Michael Frost. Michael, has spent much the past two decades tilting his ear towards those who live well beyond … Read More
In his early letters to Jesus followers the Apostle Paul regularly and specifically warned against a religious philosophy called Gnosticism. In short, Gnosticism valued immaterial things and particular devalued the human body. Over 2000 years later, it seems to me that disembodiment of various kinds continues to pose a threat, not just to a healthy … Read More
I honestly thought I had a pretty solid pace going. But I was soon passed by a group on younger men, probably from the local HighSchool. They were wearing new shoes and no shirts. I picked up the pace a bit when they passed, almost by instinct… but found myself gasping for air and once … Read More
I spend a lot of my time and energy actively imagining what the practice of faith looks like “tomorrow.” That is to say, I started creating and helping create religious culture over 25 years ago and I’m deeply invested in what the practice of faith will look like 25 years from now. I want to … Read More
