Opinion

Sports journalists often point to the careers of great athletes who didn’t win a championship and call their greatness into question by asking, “Where are the rings?” Christians, by contrast, must look at the careers of great athletes and ask, “Where is the love?”

Some people wanting to reopen their church amid coronavirus restrictions say churches should be treated like Costco. So, I decided to test this theory out. What if my church service could operate like a Costco?

The mythos of American self-making — that with the right amount of grit and cunning, the individual can determine his own truth and fate — lends itself to the view that civil bureaucracies and establishments, by contrast, are inherently sclerotic and corrupt: the information they provide automatically suspect.

More than 25 of my many years were spent in school. In those years I read, accumulated, and appreciated many books. I came to regard those books as friends. We became so familiar I could recognize them on the shelf while sitting at my desk several feet away.

I must acknowledge that this year has not turned out the way that I had hoped or prayed. And unfortunately, we do not have any idea when life will begin to look like we thought it would. The only thing we can be certain of for the near future is … uncertainty.

Recently, at one of his daily news conferences, Gov. Andrew Cuomo addressed the question that has haunted so many of us lately: How much is a human life worth? 

I don't know of a person who isn't outraged over the killing of Ahmaud Arbery. But check the social media posts of our African American brothers and sisters in Christ and the overall message is something different from before. They're asking for the help of Caucasian Christians to speak out and help put a stop to these tragedies.

Masks have been used for various purposes throughout history. With the spread of COVID-19 slowing, questions regarding mask-wearing are increasing.

We’ve become used to scenes of people applauding the workers who are on the front lines of the coronavirus crisis. There’s another group that needs our attention too — and that’s our faith leaders — who provide connectedness, foster resiliency, and offer hope to those whose lives have been disrupted.

I am afraid.  This is not a confession pastors are supposed to make.