How out of place this broken tree was, how odd that the owners of the garden—known for their skill—hadn’t removed it. It seemed almost a disservice to their handiwork, a marring of their reputation to have left this hollow shell where it stood.

With the flu season almost upon us, and predictions of tightening restrictions, how are we, the church, preparing for this Christmas season?

My pastor-friend and his congregation have separated. But from the outside looking in, it seems to me that the process toward him, even from the Classis level, was unreasonable, punitive, and unkind.

In the COVID era, I have noticed Christians to be deeply divided about a matter that just one year ago would have seemed very trivial: wearing masks.

The effects of the Doctrine of Discovery are still being felt today. How do we move forward as a united people?

What do you do when you’re home for weeks and months, stuck with nowhere to go? The answer was overhead.

Both Scripture and Christian tradition challenge the idea that God takes the sides of nations, civilizations, and political parties.

When I think of the times of celebration or holidays, I think of family, friends, and a good meal together.

What happens when it seems even pointless to pray because we know that healing probably won’t come?

As we cry out to God to fix our broken world, communities, and systems, we can slip into the trap of starting to see people not as fellow image bearers, but as the opinions their group espouses. 

Like a scratched record album, her life is stuck on “repeat” and can only move forward when the needle is bumped, and we remind her of the events of the past.

In its simplest form, our classification puts human beings into two categories: friend and foe.

I am left with a feeling of great discomfort when I think of the awkwardness of that moment, his inability to read my cues, my inability to tell him no.

As a member of the LGBT+ community, I am no stranger to division within the world and within the church.

Everything seems so clear now.

Cavernous divides between people groups are not unique to our modern plight.

Alcohol induced loneliness, despair, and depression, which had become unbearable, and I became aware of my dark thoughts of suicide.

We fought to swallow the lumps in our throat, and we blinked away the tears. Then we said goodbye.

The Christian community wonders why teenagers are not interested in Christianity—why I don’t want to be associated with the name.

In the act of putting on some characteristic garment, you share strengths, experiences, understanding, and love. … Masks are a big deal because all clothes mold us and mediate between us.

It’s surprising how much the anticipation of a new school year can excite and create a feeling of trepidation inside a teacher.

Following Jesus during the time of COVID is discombobulating. 

It is taking on the power of a new religion that’s dividing churches and hurting Christian witness.