The anti-trans legislation moving forward in multiple states across this country (here in Arkansas it’s already arrived at the desk of the governor) is predicated primarily on the notion that religious freedoms need to be protected. These poor doctors and insurance companies: if we don’t pass laws to protect them, they might have to provide care or fund services they disagree with on religious grounds… Poor souls. So let’s talk about this. I think we can start by simply pointing... Read more

I just finished watching Judas and the Black Messiah yesterday, and I’m also reading the new, and incredibly moving The Black Panthers: A Graphic Novel History, so of course I’m thinking of the life of Fred Hampton in light of the gospel for this Sunday. At one point, in a conversation with the mother of his as yet unborn child Deborah Johnson, and fresh out of prison, he says to her, “When I dedicated my life to the people, I... Read more

This Sunday we celebrate the Transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain (Mark 9:2-8). There’s a lot to be said about the story itself, and we’ll focus on the events of the Transfiguration this Sunday in worship, but here I’d like to help us see how the Transfiguration is not just a peak or mountain top experience, but is actually told at the peak of the gospel of Mark itself. And why that matters. In Scripture, as well as in much... Read more

Here’s an interesting proposal, and something we’re going to begin incorporating into Sunday worship.   For quite a while now, theologians have noted that a basic problem presented in the historic creeds (Athanasian, Nicene, Apostles’) is the absence of any content related either to a) God’s life with Israel, and b) the life of Jesus between birth and crucifixion.   One of the most concise and lovely proposals for what to insert into the creed comes from Jürgen Moltmann. He... Read more

The pastor sends a late night text: Wild hair thought for your Tuesday morning: I wonder if our church name, Good Shepherd Lutheran, actually had any legit or accurate meaning in 2021. Like, you’ve heard of us and even may be a member, but does the Lutheran part do or mean something to you? I have begun to think that another word might serve better… Good Shepherd Ecumenical, or Good Shepherd Peoples’ Church. Nothing against Lutheran theology but I wonder... Read more

I came of age in the church of the 80s and attended seminary mostly in the 90s. This means I sat through more than my fair share of interminable congregational meetings writing church mission statements, almost all of which had the word “grow” somewhere included. These meetings were well-intentioned. Inspired by the development strategies of “successful” corporations, these predominately middle class churches were just doing what a lot of their parishioners were doing at work: rolling out five year strategies,... Read more