What the incarnation affirms about the reality of God’s creation. I tend to sympathize with the Gnostics most in the morning. It’s currently common to deride these early heretics for despising our physicality and rejecting the goodness of creation. But when I wake up and tenderly place my feet on the ground, breathing slowly as …
America’s most progressive city—and the rest of our country—needs the voice of the local church now more than ever. It’s 2:30 on a Sunday afternoon and I’m trying to figure out who’s more surprised: the SWAT team peering in at our congregation or our congregants staring back at the officers. We’ve heard helicopters whir and …
How the civil-rights hero honed his preaching skills and prophetic vision at a Northern liberal seminary. In this age of the blockbuster superhero movie, audiences have come to expect the hero’s origin story. Why does he wear that cape? Where did she learn to fight like that? Why do they hide behind those secret identities? …
Insights from some of her heroes, like John Calvin and the Puritans, would help round out the picture. Marilynne Robinson is in awe of humanity. “Properly speaking, we are the stuff of myth,” she enthuses in her fourth essay collection, What Are We Doing Here? Open the book to almost any page, and your eye …
The civil rights hero delivers his “final manifesto” on race and the church’s call to unity. In this 50th year since the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., some argue that our nation is more racially divided than it has been in decades. Others are quick to suggest the divisions are merely being exposed: They …
Billy Graham drew people together his whole life. In a segregated South, he wrestled with what that should mean. Among Billy Graham's greatest contributions to evangelicalism was the way he defused prejudice to bring people together. Perhaps more than any other high-profile American figure in the 20th century, Graham challenged Christians to look beyond worldly …
How will Christians respond to the live production? The show’s history offers some clues. “Jesus Christ, Superstar, do you think you’re what they say you are?” This question—sung by Judas Iscariot and a backup chorus—has reverberated across popular culture for almost half a century now. With it, there has been another, second question: How should …
Jesus’ death demonstrates God’s love for outsiders, enemies, and strangers. It can travel anywhere in time and space, and it looks much bigger on the inside (or smaller on the outside, depending on where you’re standing). In 1963, it blended in perfectly as a British police box. But now, the intergalactic space cruiser stands out …
The real divine “prank” is not the Resurrection. This Holy Week, hundreds of frazzled preachers around the world have undoubtedly heaved a sigh of relief. Instead of having to fret over what illustration to use on Easter Sunday morning to capture their listeners’ attention, they can simply seize the opportunity the calendar has handed them. …
What the church doesn’t know about ministry leaders and temptation. Last week, the Chicago Tribune reported on multiple allegations against Willow Creek Community Church founder and longtime pastor Bill Hybels: The alleged behavior included suggestive comments, extended hugs, an unwanted kiss, and invitations to hotel rooms. It also included an allegation of a prolonged consensual …