How Do They Get Away with It?
You’ve seen them out there standing in the cold, ringing their bells. Maybe you’ve even dropped some coins into their red kettles. The Salvation Army bell ringers are even more ubiquitous than the billboards that …
Your Humble Heretic
Beyond Black and White
When I was a young boy in grade school, I wanted a big box of sixty-four crayons. But every August when my mom took me to buy my school supplies, I always ended up with …
The Antichrist
One of my all-time favorite Seinfeld lines is from the episode called The Nap. Elaine says, “Hey, Kramer, listen, you’ve seen The Omen right? What exactly was that kid?” And Kramer replies, “Who, Damien? Nothing, …
Tailgating with Jesus
As you may or may not know, when the Fighting Illini host a home football game, tens of thousands of Illini fans descend upon the parking lots surrounding Memorial Stadium. They arrive heavily equipped with …
Everyone Poops — Even God
There is an odd little book for children called Everyone Poops by Taro Gomi which was written for toddlers as they learn to be potty trained. Of course this book begs an extraordinary theological question …
Smart-Ass Cops
Several months ago I left work and headed to my son’s school so I could see him perform in his third-grade program. I was late and I was speeding. A cop pulled me over and …
The Church Hopper #6: McKinley Presbyterian Church
I’m afraid I haven’t been much of a church hopper the past couple of months. I confess it’s because I’ve been attending the same church somewhat regularly. Which one you ask? Well, I will keep …
What the Bible Isn’t
We Christians have a lot of kooky ideas about the Bible. It is used in all sorts of strange ways and often gets transformed into whatever anybody wants it to be. In other words, the …
The Problem of Lottery Tickets at Gas Stations
Our local gas stations are a hub for our community’s addiction activity. It is there that a vast number of us feed our cravings for nicotine, caffeine, alcohol, gambling and, of course, our nation’s biggest …
The Insane Theocracy of Conservative Christians
The people who identify themselves as conservative Christians are a mixed bunch. There are, on one end of the spectrum, the ultra-conservative fundamentalists and, on the other end, the more moderate conservative evangelicals. This wide …