If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
In the evolving American consciousness, where there's growing support for illegal immigrants who want U.S. citizenship and for gays who want wedlock, the same impulse apparently does not recognize that the word redskins is reprehensible and offensive to (most) Native Americans.
"Imagine 10,000 men, fathers, sons, brothers and Christ-followers, coming together to worship God and learn more about the life of true adventure He intends for us as men." That's an actual description of one such event. If you're like me, you're very, very nervous to read any further.
There may be different ideas of who can claim to be speaking as a Christian, but one of the things that has to be at the center of all definitions is that we are called to love the world as God so loved the world. Jason deserves better than he has gotten from a lot of so called Christians.
Olympic Stadium, London, August 4, 2012. Minutes before the race of my life, the finals of the men's 10,000 meters. I wasn't running. I was a spectator. Below, taking their places, were two runners I'd spent years coaching. I couldn't help but marvel at the peace I felt inside.
Let's face it: None of the members of the "Christian minority" are committing suicide for fear of being outed, bullied or rejected by society. They can walk down the street and embrace their partners without fear of being attacked. They are allowed to marry the people they love.
The "I am" is a way of affirming the blessings with which we are bestowed, recognizing the core of our identity, and giving thanks for the limitless possibilities before us.
If we Christians can't show more love and willingness to listen, it won't change one person from gay to straight, but it will turn a lot of people against Christianity.
The infatuation that Jews have with Jewish baseball players has led to books dedicated to the topic as well as entire sets of baseball trading cards.
Much has been written and said about Jason Collins' historic announcement, but it seems to me we have not yet reached the deepest implications. As a sympathetic outsider to religion, I'd like to try.
What a joy to see Collins unleash some of the best impulses within us. He is doing what I wish more religious leaders would do: speak to our highest values, refine our spirits, help us build a better world for all of God's children.
This week, Baylor basketball star Brittney Griner made her first public statements about her sexuality, and at least one headline read that this announcement is "no big deal." In the sports world, that has been true. But it is a big deal at Baylor, which, citing its Christian identity, continues to bar gay men and lesbians from employment.
It may take time, but I pray that many who suffered this week will see the presence of God in even through their distress. And from this time forward, I can't help but believe that we will all think of our sisters and brothers at the Boston Marathon finish line each time we find ourselves at one.
Let us all remember Boston and grieve for those fallen and lost, and be there next year along the route to celebrate the triumph of health and physical achievement and that we are not afraid.
Springtime is here. The buds are blooming, the temperature is warming, and allergies are surging. It is also the beginning of one of the year's most profound and powerful religious seasons: I'm talking Baseball.
Life doesn't turn out the way we expect it to be. Yet, perhaps we hide in those expectations. Perhaps we hide from today in the plans for tomorrow. Today, however, is not only a bridge to tomorrow. It is a springboard to eternity.
Survive and advance is one mantra of teams in the NCAA basketball tournament culminating in the Final Four. One strategy for churches struggling in a sports-obsessed culture may be a similar strategy: Adapt and advance.
