Jesus called out predatory religion, disrupted economies of exploitation, named rulers’ threats without flinching, and still refused the sword. Loving our enemies never meant moral equivalence, but refusing to mirror their violence while committing to standing between them and the people they crush. … More The Way of Jesus is Still Narrow
Yesterday, nine former directors of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), who served under both Democratic and Republican presidents reaching back to President Jimmy Carter, published an op-ed in the New York Times warning that Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “is endangering every American’s health.” … More Nine Former Directors of the CDC
I look to the collective wisdom and perspective of my larger Covenant family and leadership when trying to make sense of the chaos of our world and thinking through complex issues. Far too many people with power and a platform lack accountability. People rant on social media from their gut, with loose words and little thought of why they speak or who they speak for. … More Rooted and Accountable in an Age of Individual Expression and Outrage
I belong to a multiethnic body of believers called the Church of Jesus Christ. I was baptized into this new family, and I don’t get to choose and select who my siblings in Christ are. The waters of baptism are more binding than the blood running through my veins and any artificial national borders. “When one part of the body hurts, we (should) all hurt” (1 Cor. 12:26-27). … More A Word On Immigration
The film “Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin” hits theaters this week. Key members of the ensemble offer a statement to distance themselves from possible misuses of the film. They stand behind the calls from Bonhoeffer scholars, church leaders, and extended members of the Bonhoeffer family to stop the distortion of Bonhoeffer’s life and legacy to justify Christian Nationalism and political violence. … More Bonhoeffer Film Cast Offer Statement
On this somber anniversary, Rabbi David Wolpe emphasizes the importance of memory in Judaism, particularly in light of historical tragedies. Jewish memory serves as both honor and prophecy. It urges remembrance not only of pain but also of survival and divine presence. A piece published at Dispatch Faith. … More October 7 and the Perils of Memory
Mainstream media fails to depict the true reality of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from a Christian perspective. The “Theology in the Raw” podcast features diverse viewpoints, including a Gazan Christian theologian advocating for nonviolent resistance, an Orthodox Jewish Zionist working for reconciliation, and a scholar questioning blind support for Israel from a New Testament perspective. The media coverage’s failure to capture the complexity of the conflict is also highlighted. … More The Israel-Palestinian Conflict with Preston Sprinkle
Russell Moore’s article discusses antisemitic chants at elite campuses, highlighting the danger of mob mentality and the importance of individual accountability. He emphasizes the need to reject hate and embrace love and community, drawing on Christian values of personal responsibility and the vision of unity in diversity. … More What Antisemetic Chants Tell Us
A dark shadow is threatening to block out the light of Jesus’ ethic and Kingdom vision for many today. This eclipse has been slowly ongoing for years, and the shadow grows ever larger by the hour. Today, some find themselves in the path of totality, where this lunar / lunatic figure now seems to block out 100% of Jesus-shaped light and reason and truth. … More Beware the Eclipse of the Son
Whenever violence erupts in the Holy Land, I find myself huddled next to Jesus weeping again over a land that has yet to learn His Way of Peace. As we pray for peace in Israel, and watch events unfold there, let me share a piece by N. T. Wright on how Christian pilgrims might approach the complex history and relationships in the Holy Land. … More Weeping & War in the Holy Land
Have you noticed worldly kings rarely weep (in public)? Not so with our King of Kings. Today Jesus weeps over the war in Ukraine. … More Weeping With King Jesus Over Ukraine
The rugged individualism that says, “That was long ago, I wasn’t even alive, that’s not my problem,” is out of step with a biblical worldview and tone deaf to the sense of corporate responsibility that permeates the Bible. … More Corporate Sin, Corporate Blessings: A Call to Reckon with the Sins of Our Nation’s Past
I stand with the Evangelical leaders who recently sent this letter to President Biden urging him to follow through on his pledge to offer refuge to Afghan individuals and their families at risk due to their service to the U.S. government in Afghanistan. … More Evangelical Support For Afghan Refugees
Evangelicals are well-known for working to get the “right” people in the highest places of government, hoping they will lead our nation with faith and integrity in more godly directions. The overlooked story of Fauci’s boss seems to reveal another truth. … More Vaccine Hesitancy, Evangelicals, and the Ironic Tale of Dr. Fauci’s Boss
In light of the past week, and the uncertain days ahead, where do we go from here? Matt Erickson offers some wise words. … More Where do we Go from Here?
The Book of Jonah is a Sunday school favorite, yet hidden beneath its cartoon like drama lies a very scathing socio-religious warning—a warning aimed at the people who would claim to be on “God’s side.” … More Shipwrecked 2: Jonah and the Despised Other
When someone’s name is taken away, that person is dehumanized. In a very real way, our name is our identity. No one has the right to take it away or change it. … More What’s in a Name?
My worst fear — and it is well-founded — is that the white church will continue to be influenced and shaped more by partisan political rhetoric than by the God-ordained, Biblically drenched, Jesus-centered pastors and prophetic Christian voices God has placed in our lives for such a time as this. … More Pastors & Prophets, or Political Pundits?
These times call for discernment, not spreading unproven theories. … More Stop Spreading Conspiracies
You are more than “a teetering, fallible contraption, always needing watching and patching, always on the verge of flapping to pieces.” … More A Teetering Contraption? (George Will)
The current COVID-19 pandemic is revealing the limits of our independence. Despite our cultural rhetoric, we are biologically, psychologically, and spiritually communal creatures. Autonomy is an illusion. From the very beginning, God designed us to exist interdependently. … More Quarantine Letters: Illusion of Independence
So much of our growth happens through pain, and that pain comes in two forms. Pain we choose is called a discipline, while pain we do not choose is called a trial. Neither kind should be wasted. … More Quarantine Letters: Illusion of Control
We need calm hearts, ears tuned to God’s frequency and a mighty fortress when the world is coming unhinged, not when we’re meditating at a quiet retreat center! We need Jesus’ calming presence in our boat not when the sun is shining and the fish are biting, but when the storm is raging and the boat is sinking. … More Quarantine Letters: Be Still
I woke up this morning with the sunrise in my eyes, blinding me as I rolled over to turn off my alarm. I thought about the brightness of that sunrise and felt this giddy surge of excitement that I have good news to share with people who are afraid. … More Quarantine Letters: Soldiers of Light
As the Coronavirus spreads across the globe and with it the contagion of fear, I want to take up the shepherd’s pen and follow in a long line of letter writing pastors who sought to guide and encourage their sheep in times of trial and testing. … More Letters in Uncertain Times
Jeremy L. Berg 