Category Archives: Culture
In January I had the privilege of preaching during Spiritual Renewal Week at John Brown University in Arkansas. When I received the invitation, I thought the school was affiliated with the abolitionist hero John Brown who played an important role in leading antislavery protests during “Bleeding Kansas” before his raid on Harpers Ferry. But that’s … Continue reading Interrupting White Supremacy in Conservative Christian Institutions
Life Made Me a Pro-Choice Christian
Trigger Warning: This article includes Rape and Abuse of Women I am obsessed with life, let’s start there. There’s nothing more precious than the experience of our existence: this incredibly frail and mysteriously resilient reality through which we get to make connections that shape our souls toward love, God, ourselves, and each other. I’m also … Continue reading Life Made Me a Pro-Choice Christian
A Palestinian Christian From the Other Side of the Wall
I am Arab, Palestinian, Christian, evangelical, Lutheran, and male. Every element of my identity clearly marks and distinguishes me from other groups. In today’s world, especially in a Palestinian context, we are born with these identities, and in many ways, these identities determine our future. We are given religious identities—Jews, Christians, Muslims, Druze, and Baha’is—before … Continue reading A Palestinian Christian From the Other Side of the Wall
My Black Lives Matter Sidewalk And My Fragile Suburban Neighbors
Many White Allies are asking themselves, how they can help as the revolution our BIPOC brothers and sister have been needing for centuries, rages on. We march, educate ourselves, sign petitions, donate, amplify BIPOC voices, and show our solidarity and resistance in traditional and creative ways. I attended a recent protest in the primarily White … Continue reading My Black Lives Matter Sidewalk And My Fragile Suburban Neighbors
The Astounding Recklessness of John Ortberg
John Ortberg and I have the same PhD from the same institution, and I worked in student ministries at a church like his – but I have been astonished by how he and his church have responded to the scandal surrounding them.
Fantasy is My Gateway from Depression to Hope
When I was young, I lived in my head. I read stories and wrote myself into them. I was Fiver’s confidante in Watership Down. I walked with Julie of the Wolves through the frozen tundra. As I became older, my worlds expanded: I was an orphaned empath in Star Trek. I was friends with John … Continue reading Fantasy is My Gateway from Depression to Hope