Years ago, I stared into the empty eyes of my mom—a woman who had never stopped praying for her four wayward sons—and saw no recognition, no love, no anything. Mental illness temporarily took her life from her and made her forget she had a youngest child. To her, I was a lie. So, you could say that when it comes to Christians dealing with the ravages of mental disorders, I have a vested interest. Depression, bipolar episodes, and anxiety attacks have dogged my family for generations—even those who followed Jesus. It’s ugly. It’s painful. But often, it’s the issue we just don’t want to discuss. In a trending article on the RELEVANT magazine website, Brandon W. Peach hopes to change that. He realizes that this elephant hiding in the closet won’t be addressed by a single article, but there ar...

There is a great misunderstanding in churches of the purpose of music in Christian worship. Churches routinely advertise their “life-changing” or “dynamic” worship that will “bring you closer to God” or “change your life.” Certain worship CD’s promise that the music will “enable you to enter the presence of God.” Even a flyer for a recent conference for worship leaders boasted: “Join us for dynamic teaching to set you on the right path, and inspiring worship where you can meet God and receive the energy and love you need to be a mover and shaker in today’s world…Alongside our teaching program are worship events which put you in touch with the power and love of God.” The problem with the flyer and with many church ads is that these kinds of promises reveal a significant theologi...

“Islam is a religion of peace. Islam does not tolerate wanton murder,” said Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in a recent interview on Meet the Press. With all due respect to Mr. Abdul-Jabbar, he was a far better basketball player than he is an apologist. To be fair, Abdul-Jabbar is far from alone in his defense of Islam. After every attack in the name of Allah, many people hasten to disavow the connection between the Islamic faith of the terrorists and their murderous actions. Whether it’s 9/11, the London bombings, or the ISIS beheadings—it’s always the same refrain: Attacks carried out by radical Muslims have nothing to do with the religion of Islam. But the sad truth is that the so-called “religion of peace” is responsible for more deaths and violence than any other religion in the world. Shockingly...

Few films have stormed the box office – and surprised the pundits in the process of doing so – more than Clint Eastwood’s “American Sniper.” The movie is based on the autobiography of Chris Kyle, a Navy Seal who did four tours in Iraq. He is credited for being the most lethal sniper in American history with 255 kills, of which 160 were documented (witnessed). At the time of this writing, it has topped the box office for two straight weekends, bringing in $247 million worldwide. This is the largest opening for any movie in January on record, with the largest second-weekend take that wasn’t a comic book or sequel in movie history. It is already the second-highest grossing war film in North American history. If you’ve seen it, you know it’s not an easy movie to watch. The violence is, well, w...

Whose side is God on for Superbowl XLIX? The San Francisco 49ers, of course. At least that’s the team I had hoped would win this year, and yet they ended up lightyears from it. But should my team’s disappointing season make me question God’s power and His goodness to me, or change the way that I worship Him? Absolutely not, and neither should the outcome of the Superbowl for you Patriots and Seahawks fans. Religion and sports have historically made an awkward and oftentimes hazardous pair. Thankfully, we’ve come a long way since the Roman Colosseum and Mayan ball courts of Chichén Itzá, where they sacrificed the losers to appease the deities. Nonetheless, many today still blend matters of faith with sports in unhealthy ways. For example, a poll during the 2011–12 season asked, “Does ...

I’ve always considered myself to be a one-season girl. I only enjoyed summer with its hot sun, warm breezes, and cold popsicles. Summer is for swimming and vacationing, it’s for listening to the cicadas, sipping ice teas, and smelling the blossoms of the lilac trees. What is not to love about summer? Summer is when praising God for the weather is easy and heartfelt, at least for me. But then come the other seasons; spring and fall with their rains and winds, and winter, where everything is cold, hard, and seemingly dead. Sure, winter in the Alps is breathtaking, but winter in the Midwest is brutal. It gets so cold here that even the weatherman tells you, on bad days, to just stay inside. This is when praising God for the weather stops and complaining abounds. But I need change my thinking ...

Maybe it’s because I am weak. Maybe it’s because I’ve never successfully done it. For whatever reason, anytime people start talking up or talking about reading the Bible in a year, I get queasy, like when there is a strange odor in a room. My mind also immediately wanders to the Aesop fable of the tortoise and the hare. Yes, I know reading the Bible in a year is ambitious. I know it is a huge accomplishment. I know that it’s a way to flex some sort of spiritual muscle and maybe even etch a new notch in your spiritual belt. Maybe it’s also supposed to be a bucket list item or something; it does seem awfully like running a marathon. Still, what is with our obsession to read the Bible in a year? I’ve just never understood it. Just Keep Reading the Bible Here’s the deal. This is what I think w...

While visiting family in Alaska this past summer, I asked our cousins about the best places to go hiking. Then I asked my most important question: “What about the bears?” I asked. “Attacks usually happen when people go by themselves,” she responded. “That’s what happened to a woman last week. She was running alone and got caught between a cub and a momma bear.” “We don’t need to go hiking while we’re here….” I said. “We are safer if we all go together,” she said. Doing Life Alone vs. In Community We once were a society that centered around family. Multiple generations often lived together under one roof and when families did live separately, they never moved very far. These days, we are more of an individua...

“Pastor, why is racial reconciliation important for our church?” This is a question I often faced as a pastor, posed by sincere church members who wanted to grow and learn. Here are three reasons why I believe racial reconciliation should be a church priority. 1. Racial reconciliation is important because every single person was created in the image of God. The Bible is clear that there is no other way to look at your fellow human being other than someone sculpted by the hands of a loving God (Genesis 1-2; Psalm 139). It is this idea of the imago dei that informs our ethic. This means that there is no such thing as an “other”, only humans, image bearers of their Creator. Prejudice is fueled by sin, sin that corrupts and divides. Sin causes us to favor people who look and sound and think li...

Last week, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a case that could do for same-sex marriage what Roe v. Wade did for abortion-on-demand.   What concerns me, besides the obvious prospect of having marriage permanently redefined in American law, is the impact of such a ruling on religious freedom. As you know from listening to BreakPoint, there is ample reason for concern on that score. Recent events have demonstrated that the clash between gay rights and religious freedom is a zero-sum game.   That’s why a recent column by Frank Bruni of the New York Times concerned me so profoundly.   From the start, Bruni, who is himself gay, demonstrates that he does not, or perhaps cannot, understand this issue. He begins by telling readers that he “chafes” at being called “a threat to your re...