Celebrating THE CELEBRATION OF DISCIPLINE
THE CELEBRATION OF DISCIPLINE has influenced my spiritual life more than any other book. Now nearing 40 years in print, this readable and challenging book has opened the door for millions to walk the narrow, upward path that leads to life. Out of the blue last week I got a chance to meet its author, Richard Foster, and to be reminded of his powerful book.
Nellie Norton, Slavery, and the Weaponized Bible
This novel, Nellie Norton, is a famous example of pro-slavery literature in the pre-Civil War South. I never would have guessed that I have learned a great about the South and anti-Black thinking by reading the entire story. It was interesting enough that I wanted to write about it. I don’t buy its conclusions at all. What puzzled me is why the author wrote the book and who was his target audience. For me , this novel has shed a revealing light on Southern culture and racist ideas.
A Tribute to Billy Graham
The first time I heard Billy Graham’s voice I was buried under bed covers, long after I should have been asleep, straining to hear through the earphone of my toy space radio. I had attended Sunday school for a couple of years in those days at the end of the 1950’s. My family didn’t belong …
10 Simple Ways to Enrich Your Time Alone with God
Our true religion is what we do with our solitude. Churches tend to emphasize the activities of discipleship that take place in the fellowship of believers–common worship, mission, looking after one another, and religious education. Once we’re out of the church building and by ourselves, there is often not much from Church that we can …
How Christianity Lost James Baldwin
I’m just coming to James Baldwin. I saw the documentary, “I’m Not Your Negro” and found it bristling with insight and heart. I moved on to read, Go Tell it on the Mountain. Pulitzer Prize journalist, Chris Hedges, lists Baldwin and Orwell as his favorite authors. That, for me, is a motivating endorsement. I decided …
Does Religion Cause More Harm than Good?
Religion is temporary. At its best, religious practice is the scaffolding that props up our relationship with God. Religion gets us by until that great day when we behold God face to face. God’s project isn’t to build a new religion. In turn, it is not our task to see religion as the point of our…well…religion.