Date: July 7, 2020
Negative Freedom is Killing the United States
In the first theology class I took in seminary, near the start of the course, the professor, lecturing on the Apostle Paul, said: “Christ sets us free. But there is […]
RPLI Posts
Date: June 30, 2020
What if Christians Hid Our Symbols from Public Life?
Leaders in Tulsa’s Black community used what I thought was a brilliant strategy during the president’s campaign rally. They did not think it was fitting for visiting dignitaries to appropriate […]
Date: June 23, 2020
Let’s Imagine a U.S. American Holy Week
What is the relationship between Juneteenth and the 4th of July? I’m going to address that question by referring to Christianity’s Holy Week. Church goers hear a combination of admonition […]
Date: June 16, 2020
The Lord’s Prayer is Christianity’s Most Dangerous Prayer
This past semester, I taught a class about the relationship between Christianity and democracy in the United States. Since there are multiple practices of both Christianity and of democracy, rooted […]
Date: June 9, 2020
The Term “Essential Business” is a Misnomer that Caused Unnecessary Suffering
In college, I took several sociology courses. I still remember the professor’s opening remark in the class Social Problems, “The most important part of a social problem is defining the […]
Date: June 3, 2020
Committing Faith in Public Podcast with Chaplain Jacob George
Chaplains can be found in all kinds of institutional roles these days, from Tyson Foods to the military and hospitals. The Rev. Dr. Jacob George is the director of pastoral […]
Date: June 2, 2020
An Open Letter to White American Christians
My fellow white American Christians: On the soil of indigenous people’s nations, our forebears planted a version of Christianity, and they planted the rhizome of racism. They brought that rhizome […]
Date: May 26, 2020
One from Many Online Session Three
One from Many was envisioned to be a monthly public gathering throughout 2020, sponsored by the Center for Religion in Public Life at Phillips Seminary and the Oklahoma Center for […]
Date: May 26, 2020
Religious Communities Could Help Us Develop the Power to Slow Down our Moral Responses
All religious communities are schools of moral formation and moral discourse. The work of defining the gap between “is” and “ought,” the difference between right and wrong, between the desirable […]
Date: May 19, 2020
Responses to Readers and Reminders Why There is a Center for Religion in Public Life at Phillips
Over the past two weeks, there have been more comments on my blog, or prompted by my blog, than normal. Some of those comments represent real conversation, a relative rarity […]