Latest Articles
Teaching theology in anxious times
“In God’s world, there are always new possibilities—some of which reside in things we find threatening.”
Are the heavens still torn apart? (Genesis 9:8–17; Mark 1:9–15; Lent 1B)
From where I'm sitting in 2021, it seems like maybe they are.
Imagine how Christian teaching could transform our lives
Mark Jordan’s gentle, urgent invitation
This Lent, I want to learn to see the world like a poet
Why I’ve chosen Michele Madigan Somerville's Glamourous Life as my Lenten companion.
The undergrads in my Bible class taught me a few lessons
Teaching online made me realize my goal is to teach them to think, not to teach them to think like me.
March 14, Lent 4B (John 3:14-21)
I have a complicated relationship with John 3:16.
What does a seminary education prepare you to do?
Six of my Duke Divinity students, ten years later
When you pray, not if (Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21; Ash Wednesday)
Mainline Christians have often distorted this passage from Matthew.
Will all American cities soon look like Houston?
Its residents are the most diverse in the US. For decades, sociologist Stephen Klineberg has tracked their views.
Taking up the mantle (Transfiguration B; 2 Kings 2:1-12)
Elisha is unsure of himself at first.
Politics, the pulpit, and my pastoral calling
It’s not easy to avoid the perception of a political motive.
The 2017 tax law is getting even worse
The law’s assistance to lower-income Americans was modest—and temporary.
Imagining the future of theological education
Conversations with Rowan Williams, Justo González, Emilie Townes, and Sam Wells
Episode 86: Small Axe: Lovers Rock
Adam and Matt return to discuss parties, worship, and Steve McQueen's new film Small Axe: Lovers Rock.
Live not by a false sense of persecution
Rod Dreher’s Live Not By Lies is a damning testament to a religion without vision.
March 7, Lent 3B (John 2:13-22)
As Jesus overturns the tables, I imagine John in the corner, watching and taking it all down.
The dilemma of Black art in a White-supremacist culture
Set 40 years apart, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and One Night in Miami ask similar questions.
