Terms of Service: Reading the fine print or just clicking in consent
December 4, 2018
Do you always read the fine print in the Terms of Service? I confess that I have, on occasion, agreed to Terms of Service that I have, in fact, not read. Have you read the Terms of Service for the social media platform upon which you are now reading this post? If not, the time […]
Thanksgiving 2018: Ready? Set. Go!
November 20, 2018
Thanksgiving is a week away! Ready? Set? Go! Thanksgiving is a genuinely American holiday and one of my favorites. If you have not done so already, it’s time to issue some invitations for next Thursday. You could do a Thanksgiving Day brunch, lunch, dinner or leftover party on Friday or Saturday. Whatever you do, remember […]
Words touch in ways we never forget
November 15, 2018
“He touched me.” With what ears do you hear that sentence? Do you hear the refrain of a comforting hymn or the revelation of a sexually-abused child? The seemingly simple phrase may call to mind for you the reality of the touch of God in your life but for many others it brings waves […]
How to lead and love in the face of animosity
November 2, 2018
Nearly 20 years ago, I was walking down the large hall of a Convention Center during a national church meeting when I heard him. “You!” “You!” I turned to see a man nearly running in my direction pointing a very accusatory finger. You might wonder why I didn’t run. I can tell you that I […]
Talking with dead people? There’s going to be an app for that.
October 31, 2018
The title is total click-bait for a person like me: Psychologist is developing a smart phone to talk to dead people. The article is written with open mockery of the idea and those working to bring products to market which would satisfy a particular consumer demand. The article appears on the Patheos website. The drop-down […]
Our public discourse is hoarse with coarse talk
October 26, 2018
Today’s public language and cultural rhetoric is demonstrably coarse. It’s no way for people of good character to speak to one another and yet we hear coarse speech throughout the public discourse. Coarse talk bears witness to a coarse walk. Ephesians 4 makes clear that those who are seeking to live lives worthy of […]
American tribalism and the vast hopeful middle
October 17, 2018
If you thought the conversations were being dominated by activist polarized whites, you were right. The N.Y. Times’ David Brooks has written a piece entitled “The Rich White Civil War: A smarter look at America’s divide” that’s worth a read. Utilizing research results from “Hidden Tribes: A Study of America’s Polarized Landscape,” Brooks exposes what […]
Immigrants, strangers, resident aliens…home away from home
September 26, 2018
The man furrowed his brow and spoke slowly, “You’re not from ‘round here are ya?” I smiled. “Well, I lived here for a number of years, my parents live down on the lake, and we’ve got a house up on the mountain where we plan to retire. But no, right now, I live just outside […]
Colleges commence, open season on the Christian faith
September 6, 2018
College football season has kicked off but for many Christian kids on college campuses this is open season on their faith. Four things you need to know about today’s college climate: Postmodern social theory and philosophy are assumed in American higher ed. Tolerance no longer means what it used to mean. The most committed […]
No, animals are not people too
August 28, 2018
Three headlines in quick succession over the past few days got me thinking about how my fellow Americans are thinking about animals and personhood. PETA, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, have a new ad campaign equating the eating of crustaceans (crabs in Maryland and lobsters in Maine) with cannibalism. The tag lines […]