With very few exceptions — Mariano Rivera comes to mind, as well as Curt Schilling, and post-“Prime Time” Deion Sanders — athletes’ professions of faith strike most believers, nonbelievers, and agnostics alike as empty ritual, an extended solipsism in which big men with bigger egos congratulate themselves for having God on their side. When the... Continue Reading

For Christians, the lessons of Herman Cain are too important to leave in the history books of the 2012 presidential campaign. Herman Cain “suspended” his campaign for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination on Saturday, ending one of the most interesting political campaigns of recent years. Cain’s energy and ideas had catapulted him into the front... Continue Reading

Those of us who hold to so-called “traditional gender roles” are often assumed to believe that women should submit to men. This isn’t true. Indeed, a primary problem in our culture and in our churches isn’t that women aren’t submissive enough to men, but instead that they are far too submissive. First of all, it... Continue Reading

All of us, people and pastors alike, need to remember how lonely suffering can be and how great the need for true company. We can’t take the role of the only Good Shepherd, but we can walk with them and hold their hands as far through the valley of the shadow as one human can... Continue Reading

What they can do, however, is extend the seminary’s ability to help pastors continue their education. Just as lawyers and physicians are required to continue their education, so congregations should give prayerful consideration to sending their pastor(s) back to seminary for a time of study and renewal. This small step might reduce ministerial “burnout” significantly.... Continue Reading

I’m not suggesting that we should seek to be homely. My point is that the characteristics that God desires for us to pursue include wisdom and kindness and dignity and strength and most especially fear of the Lord. As a home schooling mom, modesty is a topic that comes up on a regular basis. Because... Continue Reading

“Age and developmentally appropriate yoga poses, breathing exercises, chanting, meditation, and relaxation techniques offer a child-friendly relationship to the physical and philosophical traditions of yoga.” A group of children sits in a circle, legs crossed, and palms pressed together in front of their hearts. A lovely woman has just finished leading them through a yogic... Continue Reading

The pastor has traditionally been thought of as one who does ministry in the midst of a people who are sick and dying, and who administers in word and sacrament, in Scripture and in prayer, the healing balm of the Lord. So who told us that the pastor is primarily a leader/entrepreneur/change agent and anything... Continue Reading

Little do my socialist friends know, but “The Internationale,” the worldwide anthem to communism written (of course) in France and popularized by the Soviet Union, is really about worshipping Christ. I mean, look at the first two lines: “Stand up, damned of the earth / Stand up, prisoners of starvation.” All of us are damned... Continue Reading

With news that HarperCollins Publishers has purchased Thomas Nelson – the biggest Christian publishing company in the world – we see the biggest assault yet on the Christian industry. Harper, which owns Zondervan, a major competitor to Nelson, is adopting the strategy that began in the ’90s: We won’t join Christian publishing, so we’ll beat... Continue Reading