As if we didn’t have enough trouble with the COVID19 virus itself, we constantly hear stories questioning how serious the current outbreak is and what precautions should be taken to deal with it. I’m pretty much settled on trusting the information coming from proven professionals in the field, but I’m amazed at what some of […]

Finally! Play ball! It was both exciting and weird watching the first Dodger game of the 2020 season last Thursday. Those cardboard cutouts of actual fans who paid at least $149 to be virtually present seemed like smiling zombies, and the artificial sounds of cheering crowds were never quite coordinated with actual events in the […]

Six months ago today, this article appeared in the Smithsonian Magazine: “A mysterious respiratory virus that has infected hundreds in China has now officially made landfall in the United States, bringing the total number of countries afflicted by the newly described Wuhan coronavirus up to at least six. For now, the Center for Disease Control […]

The early church met opposition right from the beginning. At first, it came from the leaders of the Jewish establishment, as in Stephen’s martyrdom in AD 35 (Acts 7:58-60) or from the puppet King Herod when he executed the Apostle James in AD 42 (Acts 12:2). A few years later, the Emperor Claudius expelled the Jewish […]

(“Doubting Thomas,” by Italian painter Caravaggio, 1601-02) Christianity teaches that God shows himself to humans in two ways: General Revelation, the evidence that can and should be seen by every person who looks at the natural world and thinks about where it all came from, what it means and how it impacts their life: “The […]

In the many discussions we’ve been having about the persistent protests since George Floyd’s death at the hands of police, there’s been a great deal of discussion about systemic racism. Some of my White friends have recoiled from that phrase with the response, “I’m not a racist.” They don’t seem to understand that systemic racism […]

The Bible’s teaching about The Kingdom of God is hard for us to understand and apply today for two reasons: (1) We who live in a democratic society have a hard time understanding what it’s like to live in a kingdom (unless we binge watch Masterpiece Theater). We have some modern examples of kingdoms, but […]

The events of the past three weeks have thrust us into the often uncomfortable conversation about race. Many White people, protected by our status as the “norm” of American society, have not had to navigate racial landmines every day as people of color do. So when a landmine blows up and a conversation is thrust upon us, […]

Those are the words I heard myself mumbling when I turned away from the COVID-19 punch only to be socked from the other side by the aftershock of police brutality to George Floyd. I realized i was singing under my breath a line from a Tennessee Ernie Ford song I learned as a kid.* But […]

Part of last Sunday’s on-line ABC Worship Service was a dialog prayer by Deacon Chair Phyllis Blackwood Henderson and Pastor George Van Alstine.* After reviewing the awful reminders of the raw evidence of America’s racism during the past week, they brought these requests to the Lord: George: Lord, we’re asking for your grace and healing, […]