(Editor’s Note: This post is a response to an actual job listing for a pastoral position. I chose for the headline a nickname for the church (from a website they referenced and/or created) rather than the actual stated church name. I did this in the hopes that, should they abandon this particular branding experiment, my…

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Sometimes all it takes to properly contextualize a verse of Scripture is to read the next one. This is John 12:32 (NIV):   “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” I grew up hearing preachers and worship leaders quote John 12:32, and the application was, “we…

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<![CDATA[So one of the problems I see in our political discourse, is that we often use the same words but mean different things. And nowhere is that problem more vexing than in our discussions about race. It's been a problem for a long time, of course, but ever since the election of Donald Trump, there…

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<![CDATA[One of the great ironies of Justin Simien’s masterful directorial debut, Dear White People, which released in theaters nationwide this last weekend, is that although it’s aimed at white people, it’s not about white people. And just now as I was writing, I was tempted to use another, less weaponized-sounding verb, but truly, “aimed” is the right…

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<![CDATA[So for the past sixteen months or so, I've been serving as the interim worship director for a church plant just west of Portland, called Kaleo Covenant Church. How I ended up there is sort of a long story for another time, but it will suffice to say that it’s more than just a gig…

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<![CDATA[ From time to time, I just like to share my thoughts on certain passages of the Bible. Consider the gospel of John, chapter 2, the first part of which is the famous passage where Jesus turns water into wine. (And by “consider” I mean read it. Go ahead and follow that link, and read…

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<![CDATA[3 … 2… 1… Context. You ever wondered about what context means? If you have, let me break down the etymology. You’ve got “con,” which is Spanish for “with,” and then you’ve got “text,” which is English for “text.”Okay, you know what? Forget about the etymology part. Context is reading between the lines. It’s looking…

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