Faith Improvised

Individualism thoroughly pervades evangelical culture, which prepares evangelicals and evangelical churches to deal with racism poorly and even counter-productively. There are many ways of grappling with the individualism that afflicts us. As just one consideration, evangelicals have heard for generations that Jesus is “my personal savior,” and this reality happens when I “ask him into […]

I am convinced that learning about race and racism, and participating in discussions of these matters, is an entirely hopeful prospect for white Christians. I say this based on my understanding of how Paul envisions the gospel and how he configures Christian identity, When I refer to how Paul envisions “the gospel,” I am not […]

The protest against the brutal police treatment of black people in Grand Rapids Saturday night was a profoundly Christian moment. People came together and walked shoulder to shoulder from across ethnic, racial, and gender lines, and from every social class. They peacefully and passionately advocated on behalf of the powerless to the powerful. It was […]

After seeing some of my Facebook posts about race and racism, a friend asked me what we should do. Indeed, what can be done? I must confess that I feel overmatched by the question. I am still trying to figure out what I can do. But here are some thoughts. I am open to the […]

A wrong conception of God’s sovereign kingship over creation goes hand in hand with poor ways of thinking about suffering and responding to catastrophe. When we imagine that “God is in control,” we envision the trouble we face as having been orchestrated by God. This leads us to intellectualize the problem, trying to discern the […]

In Scripture, idolatry involves at least two things: First, the inappropriate association of the one true God with anything humans create. Humans alone are God’s image, and that is why God commanded Israel not to associate him with any created thing, however beautiful or impressive. Second, idolatry involves the destruction of human bodies. Worshiping Molech […]

I wrote that the two creation accounts in Genesis 1-2 portray God’s complex relationship to his creation. He is both transcendent over creation and immanent to it. He is both sovereign king and a genuine participant in unfolding events. I noted how this works out in Genesis 3 when God converses with the humans to […]

This is an edited version of a homily delivered at Midtown Christian Community, April 25, 2009. O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread: Open the eyes of our faith, that we may behold him in all his redeeming work; who lives and reigns with you, in […]

Genesis 3 is an account of the human rebellion that plunged creation into chaos. And it portrays God as a genuine participant in unfolding events. In Genesis 2, God placed the humans in the garden as his “image,” commissioning them to spread God’s order of flourishing beyond the borders of the garden. They were to […]

I remember exploring my grandparents’ basement when I was a child. There were hundreds of dusty old honey jars and milk jars, filled with nails, screws, washers, nuts and bolts. Everything was saved; nothing was disposable. It was as if they hadn’t thrown away anything for decades. My grandparents were immigrants, my grandmother a refugee, […]