Just run it by Jesus
When preparing to prune a weeping Japanese maple for the first time I turned to the source of all authority — YouTube — for guidance. In the first video, …
Manhood shouldn’t be so tough
In Bozeman, Montana, there is graffiti inscribed on an old grain silo that caused me to smile. In fading white paint it reads: “Bucky Cummings eats sushi with a fork.” …
About that ‘Judge not’ thing
When noting an inconsistency between an ideology poorly branded as “Christian” and Jesus’ actual teachings, one can expect a familiar, defensive two-word rebuke: “Judge not!” Those words are extracted from …
Why say so?
Here is some widely known but often suppressed unvarnished and verifiable truth: White Americanized evangelicals, more than any other subgroup, empower and accommodate an overtly corrupt, vulgar and vicious national …
Hobbled by a one-footed gospel
“You really stepped on my toes today, preacher.” It takes a certain vintage and denominational heritage to recognize those words. They would be uttered by a departing worshipper to the …
Unacknowledged racism is still racism
Unacknowledged, even unrecognized, racism is still racism — and it is fueling a frenzy within American life to advance the age-old, sin-drenched idea that social power belongs exclusively to white …
A short, challenging pop quiz
Here’s a short quiz. Where in the four Gospels does Jesus call for believers to accept him as their personal savior? (Some Jeopardy music would be nice should anyone be …
Questions of apprenticeship
“Jesus wasn’t trying to get people to agree with him,” said Joseph Yoo in a recent social media posting. “He was inviting people to follow him.” It is an important …
A preposterous idea
Call it ridiculous, even utterly absurd. Excuse the redundancy, please. Surely such a far-fetched proposal, however, deserves all the adjectives that appear to fit. One might even call it a …
The common denominator of toxic masculinity
Much of the unrest, abuse and misguided leadership so prevalent now in various spheres can be traced to insecure males who are desperate to feel validated. This toxic masculinity — …