Are you worn out with the Sunday morning routine? Feel like there must be more to the Christian life than committee meetings, worship services, and sitting around in a circle discussing our feelings? Are you hungry for a faith that leads to concrete acts of love? In a culture so hostile to genuine community, what …
What if being a Christian really cost something? What would the First World church look like if living our faith meant losing friends, family, property, livelihood, reputation? How many of us would sign up for that kind of journey? What if being a Christian was dangerous? It would be nothing like what we see in …
My experience of Quakerism has always been tinged with a palpable awareness of its impending demise. When I first became a Quaker during my time living in Mexico City, I remember walking with a respected elder from Pacific Yearly Meeting who confided in me, I don’t know whether Quakerism will survive. This question of denominational …
It was five years ago this month that Faith and I first held a meeting for worship on Capitol Hill. There were four of us, all twenty-somethings, gathered together in the conference room of the William Penn House. In the silence of that time of Quaker worship, I couldn’t imagine the kind of journey I …
Yeah, you read me right. If you want to be a real conservative, you might want to consider supporting LGBT equality in the church. Let me explain. In the debate around LGBT equality, almost everyone I know labels an affirming stance as progressive or liberal, while a non-affirming stance is considered conservative or traditional. I …
Read more “Are you Conservative enough to embrace Gay Christians?”
Are you tired of the hypocrisy and greed of prosperity gospel preachers? Fed up with politicians appealing to religious sentiments in order to win elections and start wars? Do you feel like there must be something bigger and more beautiful than the simplistic story you’ve heard in church? Jesus feels the same way. Jesus didn’t …
Have you ever studied another language? You memorize vocabulary and verb conjugations. You get ready for quizzes and drills. If you’re a particularly good student, you may get these basics down well enough that you’re able to have real conversations and write passable essays in your new language. This is where most of us stop. …