It’s easy to see how Vladimir Putin is getting bad information about the war in Ukraine, but the same dynamics keep evangelical pastors from appreciating the religiously-mediated suffering of LGBTQ people. Evangelical denominations these days are run by the megachurch pastors — nothing happens without their blessing. Smaller congregations follow…

“Glen, wake up. You’re loved.” — It was June, 1972 and my father lay comatose in the Intensive Care Unit of Sinai hospital in Detroit, several days after ingesting a massive overdose of barbiturates. His kidneys had shut down and he was unresponsive to pain. Richard (Dick) Bieber was two years younger than my dad, pastoring…

Seven years ago a few other evangelical pastors and I broke from tradition to create refuge for LGBTQ+ people in our churches. What happened? It was like a prison escape that helped the guards to reinforce security weak spots. My drama took place in Vineyard USA. Why Bring it Up? I have personal reasons…

When Joe Manchin worry-tweeted that “Build Back Better” could turn us into an “the entitlement society,” he was employing an evangelical trope — one that many of his white, conservative, West Virginians well understand. In white evangelicalism, everyone knows that those who depend on government handouts are likely to slip…

Simone Biles had a moment of inspiration this week. “Today it’s like, you know what, no,” she said, explaining her decision to withdraw from Olympic competition. Must have felt like a death — to the hope of Olympic gold, to the reward for untold hours of practice, of nursing various…

I was among a small cadre of evangelical pastors who refused to enforce hard-edged policies against LGBTQ members. Without exception we lost our jobs and all evangelical connections. Bewitched, bothered, and bewildered — we share strikingly similar tales that end with our unsightly remains quickly swept under the rug. A Case Study: Don Schiewer and the Evangelical Covenant Church Don…

I wish I could tell you their real names, or their kids name, and all the details of their stories because that’s where the magic happens. We gather for dinner once a month (now via Zoom) to enjoy each other’s company, and to speak of our joys and sorrows. We…

In church-world, lots of congregations with an aging demographic — especially ones in lower income areas — are regarded as “dying.” It’s a matter of simple arithmetic: not enough younger people replacing the older members. …

I’m a former colleague of some highly educated Christians who also became Trump supporters. At first I thought it was owing to their radical anti-legal abortion stance. But no. They like Donald Trump. They didn’t hold their nose to vote for him. Many are inured to the rise of White…