I was raised in a conservative, dogmatic Christian tradition that approached anything not explicitly “Christian” as wrong. Yet, as the years progressed yoga has become an essential part of my life and spirituality, even though a recent global survey of evangelical leaders indicated that 92 percent of the 2,196 surveyed…  [more]

A lot has changed in worship since technology entered the scene. Some of it has been overt, whereas other changes have been more low-key, as in the case of offerings being received. Automatic contributions are becoming increasingly common among our congregations. This is a really cool thing - it encourages firstfruits giving,…  [more]

A recent controversy among evangelicals online has started me thinking about gender and what kind of people should be visible in our churches. In the last few weeks, a lot of people became angry with Mark Driscoll because he asked, via Facebook, for stories about “the most effeminate anatomically male…  [more]

With the final launch of NASA's space shuttle program scheduled for tomorrow, the usual debates over the merits and costs of the enterprise have been revived. What are the practical benefits? Do they justify the enormous costs? Does the United States have bigger fish to fry? All good, skeptical questions,…  [more]

Years ago, while working at an archaeological site in the Jordanian desert, I was invited with my colleagues to attend dinner at the home of a local family. Although the village was poor and rural, our host planned to treat us to a feast: lamb, served on great platters piled…  [more]