There have been numerous times in my life when I will be in casual conversation with someone, and the topic of religion will come up. Sure, I know there is that old social caveat that there are two topics that are often best avoided in
My husband and I spent June 7-11, 2002 with Soulforce studying the nonviolent teachings of Martin Luther King and Gandhi. One of our teachers was Arun Gandhi, the fifth grandson of Mohandas Gandhi. We were choosing to spend our own 35th wedding anniversary preparing to
Taking the Bible seriously, but not literally There’s nothing quite like the topic of homosexuality to quickly spark a fiery storm of scriptural proof-texting. Both sides marshal all their scriptural evidence. The conservatives whip out their six “clobber” passages and bang them with a hysterical
When I first began my search for answers about cross-dressing, one of my biggest fears was that I was all alone. Logic told me there had to be many others, but somehow I felt totally isolated. Who could possibly understand? Who would care? Who could
Read the rest of the series Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to me, all you who labor and find life a burden, and I will refresh you.” There is much in the world that beckons to us in our weakest moments. “Try this brand of alcohol and
“Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” — 2 Corinthians 6:14 A friend and I were having a conversation recently, and we both agreed there is no such
Love the Sinner, Hate the Sin Cover Stories Love the Sinner, Forgive the Sin By Candace Chellew Nowhere in the gospels do we find Jesus hating anyone for anything — instead, we find him forgiving everyone, even his executioners. This is not a model of
And behold, they brought to him a paralytic, lying on his bed; and when Jesus saw their faith he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” Then some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” But Jesus,
Many of us feel very vulnerable when we hear ourselves referred to as sinners by those who contend that living out our sexual orientation is a sin, an abomination before God. Once I used to feel very defensive on this count, but things have changed
The Rev. Dr. Mel White recently stated that “you can’t love the sinner and hate the sin.” Yet many claim today to do just that. This oft-quoted statement does not in fact originate from the Bible as some may believe, but instead it apparently comes