Diana Butler Bass

Today marks the end of the first 100 days of Trump 2.0. Simply put, it has been horrible. We’ve seen early capitulation and collusion from major American institutions. A full-on attack on valued programs that support civic life. The purposeful undermining of the Constitution, especially when it comes to civil rights and freedom of speech.

Call your senators and your representative TODAY — no matter the political party. Then, let them know you want them to stand up to Elon Musk to protect the security of the United States.

The news is bad here in Washington, DC — from the traumatizing executive order two days ago to the plane crash and pretty much everything in between. Like me, you might be feeling the sadness and stress of the day. And so, I’m sharing about my walk along the Potomac and a poem from this morning. I hope you’ll take a few minutes and listen.

Yes, there are always fires in California. But those fires are rarely in the middle of a city. We have never seen anything like this in modern times. There have been devastating urban fires in history like the Great Fire of London in 1666 or the Chicago fire of 1871.

People keep telling me that I’m “just disappointed about the election.” I’m not just disappointed. I’m something else…something taught by Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King.

Today’s passage is from Mark 10, a chapter that includes five stories of people coming to Jesus to have their questions answered, to request a favor, or to be healed.

People often think that the Bible is obscure, hard to understand, and irrelevant. But today’s reading from Ephesians seems as fresh and accessible as when it was first written some 2,000 years ago. The passage is straightforward. It is a list of don’ts and do’s, a kind of inventory of spiritual virtues.

From a theological perspective, politics is the argument about the nature of community, who counts in community, and our moral responsibility for community. It is an old argument. It existed long before Jesus, long before Rome. It runs through the Hebrew scriptures. It shaped ancient societies. These are questions are the heart of human existence, these theological-political questions.

A collegial, embracing, creative, and challenging discussion about women, history, and the road that Christianity didn’t take.

From September 1 to October 4, Christians around the world mark the Season of Creation, a relatively recent development in the liturgical calendar.

  Too much of politics caters to our craving miracles; faith is often about finding some magical safe place. But mystical experiences are

Love is, of course, an answer. And while most people of faith can agree on the command to love our neighbors, we need to face the reality of this moment. What is happening among us — the transnational struggles with democracy and attacks on human rights — is far more than a failure to love our neighbors.

It isn’t just Jesus’ birthday. The whole of creation is reborn.

President Joe Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act at a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House. The new law creates federal protections for both same-sex and interracial marriages, effectively guarding these rights against the possibility of the Supreme Court overturning the rulings that previously granted them.

This week’s reading is a Sunday school children’s favorite — the story of Zacchaeus, a tax collector who climbs a tree to see Jesus.

Although we don’t often think about it, the Lord’s Prayer is a takedown of Roman economics and politics. Jesus teaches his followers to leave behind the whole system of indebtedness that obligates people to Caesar.

Many people are confused, angry, and worried about the future — while others feel their longest hoped-for political dreams have become reality. The air is full of tension, even on these sunny summer days, and it seems as if the nation has somehow cracked open.

Today’s text — commonly referred to as “the Gerasene Demoniac” — is from the Gospel of Luke. The miracle story of the exorcism and the pigs appears in Mark, Luke, and Matthew with some variations.

Maybe my evangelical kin — who believed themselves to be reformers of lukewarm or dead faith — wouldn’t have welcomed a real Reformer in their midst. Because they were already right. They didn’t need reform. They certainly wouldn’t have embraced anyone who challenged their worship, theology, or leaders.

This isn’t an easy story — it is especially hard to avoid the pitfalls of any Christian preaching about the destruction of the Temple (I pray I didn’t contribute to those anti-Semitic interpretations!). But I think it is one of the most important stories in Mark, a short section of verses that help make sense of the entire gospel.

This morning, I preached at Platte Woods United Methodist Church in Kansas City. They’ve been doing a sermon and education series on Freeing Jesus - and they asked me to come and finish up their study of the book.

When I got the vaccine, I thought I’d want to run into the streets singing with joy like a giddy giant cicada. But in recent days, I’m struck by how anxious I feel - far more anxious than any time in the pandemic except at the very beginning.

This week is Canada Day and July 4, two celebrations of national life in North America. Both holidays are particularly complicated - even painful - this year as citizens in both Canada and the United States struggle with legacies of colonialism and racism in history and our political lives.

A number of writers have been quietly working behind the scenes on a project called How to Heal Our Divides — where we’re bringing together practitioners of what Brian McLaren calls “un-division” to share their wisdom and stories.