A Presbyterian, a Lutheran, and two Episcopalians walk into a hospital. Not the start of a joke, I promise. Instead, it was
Keep ReadingA Theological Reflection Why can’t white folks in general – and white Christians in particular – be rid of the problems of white privilege and racism? Why can’t a board, a vestry, a session, or pastors and Christian Educators simply
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Birth, Death, and Solidarity in the YAV Program Our Church’s approach to mission work has changed dramatically in recent decades – and continues to change! In the traditional understanding of mission, the missionary operates from a mission compound, from a position of power and control, and relates with a condescending
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I dropped out of college after a one-semester attempt at art school. This was not just because my soul had something of an allergic reaction to the amount of debt that would come with pursuing that degree, but also because I had this crazy feeling that I was being “called”
MoreTo accompany Jocelyn Kirk’s article “In the In-Between”: Expanding Your Roots, the Young Adult Editorial Team for Unbound has compiled a suggested playlist and reading list for expanding YOUR roots! Check out the following list of songs (available as a Spotify playlist and plain text) and books that don’t necessarily fall into
MoreDon’t miss the playlist and reading list to accompany this article! “God is in the in-between.” When I first heard this phrase, my mind immediately went to middle school dance chaperones telling kids to “save room for Jesus” when slow dancing (in other words, “Don’t grow up too fast!”). This
MoreI continue to be impressed by how deeply the 2008 recession has impacted the faith of today’s 20-somethings, and I continue to be frustrated by how poorly institutional churches as a whole have responded to this exciting and game-changing generational trend. While previous generations expected self-sufficiency, there is a strong
MoreThe older I get, the more aware I become of a natural order in life – the more I notice how our individual lives often mimic a similar pattern to other organisms on earth. Just as trees grow deep roots even in the most impossible places, human beings also have
MoreMy son is growing up in a house with homeless people. In 2004, my wife Amy and I started an intentional community (with two hospitality houses) that centers its daily life around the practice of hospitality—welcoming the stranger. Most folks tell us that the work we do is noble. But
MoreGrowing up Asian-American and Adopted in a Southern White Church I was born halfway around the world from the place I now consider home. My life story does not begin in a hospital, like many people’s, but in the Greenville-Spartanburg International airport, where I first met my adoptive parents (or
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An Opening Editorial I’ve always struggled with the idea of roots. It’s not that I don’t appreciate where I’ve come from or have deep love and gratitude for my family and the community that have raised me, nourished me, and made me who I am today. But when asked to
MoreFrom Ministry Tourists to Pilgrims Maps have always fascinated me. As a child they allowed me to escape the confines of the urban landscape of Chicago’s southwest side. I loved learning to read maps, gleaning insight into faraway people and places with a kind of romanticism. Conversely, as an adult,
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