Join Front Row host Peter Laarman and guest Grace Ji-Sun Kim, as she explores the historical and theological implications of Jesus becoming white and God becoming a white male.

I’m not gonna lie, this was an especially hard week to focus on writing a sermon. I kept getting distracted by the machinery of fear and then I’d snap out of it and try and read these two stories from Isaiah and Luke and then before I knew it I’d be in the trance again.

I seriously doubt that the great majority of Americans want to treat immigrants and refugees with the callous disregard currently aimed at them by the Trump administration. 

The history of Christianity and its weaponization against the queer community

I grew up loving this country.  It is not because of our vibrant economy or large and powerful military.  It also is not because of our spacious skies, amber waves of grain, majestic mountains, or fruited plains. I have had love and pride in this country for its values. What are these American values? They are values of our Declaration of Independence with the assertion that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

After twenty-four years in the Evangelical movement, Phil Davis decided to leave his “first faith.” It was not a decision he took lightly. In Leaving God for God, Davis takes us on his journey to de-program himself and open himself to the God beyond any one religion.

Can you feel your faith slipping away? Are you or a loved one questioning what you’ve always believed? If you’re wondering whether there’s life on the other side of deconversion, or if you’re trying desperately to understand a loved one who is losing their faith—this book is for you.

The Gospel of John has long fascinated readers with its poetic language, theological depth, and enigmatic characters. Among these, the "Beloved Disciple" stands out as a figure shrouded in mystery. Who was this disciple? What was their relationship with Jesus? And why does their identity remain anonymous?

It’s a well-known fact that Christianity is slowly dying in the West. While there are many factors contributing to this decline, the most significant one is biblical belief. More and more people are finding the beliefs outlined in the Bible unbelievable. As a result, the time has come to have a conversation on what a post-biblical Christian faith might look like. This book begins that conversation.

It started with Jesus. After his death, his inner circle of followers called the disciples, along with other followers, continued his extensive call to care for and love others. They were called to a ministry of service.

Attempting to cope with an ever-increasing flow and flood of information, knowledge, and data, we skim and scan, instead of deep reading and absorption. David Robson weaves numerous thoughtful and stimulating viewpoints from other noted experts combined with his timely insights into how our world was affected by the shift to a post-modernism society. This substantial work was written after years of research, study, and contemplation with the goal of stimulating each reader on their own path of spiritual awareness and personal growth.

My heart sank when I heard that John B. Cobb, Jr. died on December 26, 2024. I’m told that he died peacefully, surrounded by family. John was one of the greatest theologians of our time, and his influence upon me is immeasurable.

Have you ever noticed that organized religion has historically been a major force in the oppression of women? Have you ever wondered why? The battle over abortion being waged in America today, with the support of both the Vatican and the religious right, is simply the latest chapter in this perennial war.

As Christmas comes, tradition reminds us of the cycles of seasons and history and the timeless nature of some stories. Advent is the perfect time to reflect on our 2020 podcast discussion with John Dominic Crossan about his book with the late Marcus Borg, “The First Christmas.” 

The first Sunday in October was World Communion Sunday, except it didn’t include most of the people of the world, including the Roman Catholic church, the Eastern Orthodox church, the Episcopal church, and the Lutherans.

Two locally raised St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church of Brookings OR leaders were honored on October 30th with humanitarian awards.

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.

Ready to leave toxic religion behind but scared of where the journey will take you?  Find reassurance and direction from someone who walked the same path and shares how to break free from indoctrination without losing yourself.

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.

From the very beginning of my Christian journey, I attempted to believe in the providence of God. I wanted to believe in it. I needed to believe in it. But I also had my doubts.

Not only do I think that much can and has been learned about God by physics, but I would suggest the provocative idea to many that more can be learned about God from physics and other scientific disciplines than from scripture!

In a settlement reached, the council approved $400k legal fees, rescinded what Federal Magistrate Mark Clarke called an “ill-conceived ordinance” to control and limit church feedings and dropped an abatement measure threatening to fine the congregation $720-a-day unless it stop undefined “social services.”

“God loves us all, but I’m His favorite.” It may make for a cute bumper sticker, but it points to a far more serious problem that impacts much of what we read and interpret in the Bible.

When I saw the church persistently losing members, I proceeded to defend it by first finding out why. Surveys suggest that the main reason for disaffiliation is intellectual. This suggests that orthodoxy, which supported Christianity for two millennia, is now one of the main factors causing people to leave because, for discerning people, its creed of miracles is no longer realistic and relevant.

American Christians often wonder exactly how their faith and politics ought to intersect.  It’s an understandable confusion, especially for those who value freedom of belief and religious diversity.  I often hear that we should “keep politics out of the pulpit,” but doing so is a theological impossibility for those who take Jesus’ teachings seriously because Christianity is inherently political. 

The anti-LGBT mindset in the U.S. is, unfortunately, rooted in Christianity. It’s also not the easiest topic to dig into. But it’s darn fascinating. And context is key.

This homily was delivered to a courageous congregation, St Timothy’s Episcopal of Brookings OR, recently victorious in a religious liberty struggle with a scofflaw city government over controlling church “soup kitchen” feedings and undefined “social services.”

We Christians are good at a lot of things. Potluck dinners. Taking care of church members. Dressing up on Sundays. Weddings. Funerals. Worship. Quoting scripture. And we’re persistently exceptional at misinterpreting that scripture, then running amuck in the world because of it.

Christians have an obligation to talk about the Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v Wade. Not because this decision was not based on best practice and law. Not because it was not based on scientific or medical consensus. But because it was based on Christian misinterpretations of biblical text.

Even in the warmest and most welcoming evangelical churches, patriarchy looms as an ever-present force, suppressing women’s possibilities and debilitating whole communities. Well-intentioned churchgoers and church leaders have bought into deeply-entrenched male-dominated mindsets, power structures, and theologies that are not working—not for women, and really not for anyone.