How much longer do we have to pretend that it matters when we hear people justify their prejudices by claiming: “The Bible says”? It’s such an easy excuse for sanctifying any position, that people who’ve never even opened the Bible use it. It’s saying something
Deuteronomy 23:1 is one of the “verse grenades” that bigoted, intellectually lazy Christians lob at trans and gender-diverse people as part of a specious claim that this short passage “proves” that God opposes us having any surgeries. But before I get into that, I’d like
Dear Bro, As you know, I love to listen to music, especially when I’m working. I like to put Pandora on shuffle and listen to 15 different channels because I love the variety, and I just love music of all kinds. As I was listening
A world religions professor faces mortality You’d think after studying religions around the world that I’d have formed some definite ideas about the afterlife, but alas, I haven’t. And I know that I’m in good company — some of the religious leaders that I admire
It starts with something called ‘human flourishing’ Every morning, we wake up with an incredible opportunity before us. Whatever else the day holds, we know we will have the chance to choose love over hatred, kindness over cruelty, generosity over selfishness and greed, hospitality and
The Gospels are understandably spare in their recounting of the life of Jesus. The expense and trouble involved in producing and promulgating the written word two millennia ago meant every word counted in a way that is almost unfathomable to us now. Mark, the briefest
Should you stay, or should you go? It continues to be one of the major crises for religious believers today. What should we do with “these people” whom our denomination has marginalized for centuries? For some it’s LGBTQ+ people. The United Methodist Church, for example,
The ego strikes back I’m going to be honest, as a lesbian woman, I didn’t feel much like celebrating the Fourth of July this year. Supreme Court decisions ending affirmative action, codifying discrimination against LGBTQ+ people in public services, the rise in anti-transgender (and LGB)
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. (Psalm 139:13-14 NIV) Society has a problem with gender differences. People whose
Translating the triggers: A handy primer Of course, we want to believe that everyone means what they say. We’d love to believe that more educating and presentations of the facts convinces people. We think that explaining ourselves repeatedly and spending a lot of energy to
