Without a doubt, Gerben Winters (his real name!) was the grouchiest, crankiest, most curmudgeonly parishioner I had in over 45 years of ministry. He was

Many years ago I served on an ecumenical board with a rich devotional practice at the first session of each board meeting: One board member

Back in 2005 Christian Smith captured the functional religion of North American culture, especially among young people, with the term moralistic therapeutic deism. It is

One of the purposes of Advent is to nurture the habit of waiting, the spiritual fruit of patience as we wait for something better. When

“Communication is not just the transmission of information; it is the co-creation of culture.” So says Quentin Schultze in his Christian perspective on communication entitled

In this Advent season, I share this personal experience to encourage people who wait in hope. It’s a story about Vince (not his real name),

“Whatever you do, don’t go into grandma and grandpa’s living room tonight. Dad and your uncles have to decide whether we’re leaving the church.” Those

I was honored to present the following meditation last month at the ceremony honoring Calvin University’s Class of 1973 on the 50th anniversary of their

“The Bible and Same Sex Marriage: How and Why I Changed from a Traditional to an Affirming Position” — that’s what I called the testimony