To reflect on the slaughter of students and teachers at Sandy Hook and the murder of Officer Lang here in Memphis is to enter into lamentation, a deep questioning of the evil present in human life and of God’s apparent absence and inaction.  Where is God when children and teachers are brutally murdered by a [...]

Memphis is the second most generous city in the country, according to a new survey by The Chronicle of Philanthropy. According to the publication: “Religion plays a major role in how much money Americans give to charity. The parts of the country that tend to be more religious are also more generous.” Why is this true? [...]

What should Memphis City Council do? Are sexual orientation and gender identity an employment issue, a civil rights issue or a faith issue? The Memphis City Council should approve the nondiscrimination ordinance. This ordinance would ban discrimination in city employment because of age, ethnicity, national origin and disability, and include…[Read more]

What are your views of the food-stamp program and the proposed cuts to it? The food stamp program is an essential part of the “safety net” for poor people in the United States.  This safety net is already tattered and insufficient.  To cut food assistance programs in the midst of a recession when a record number [...]

Are you concerned about new voter ID laws? Are we doing enough to prevent fraud and other problems? How can we make voting as accessible as possible while still safeguarding the democratic process? For people of biblical faith it is important to remember the focus of biblical justice on justice for the poor, for those on [...]

Memphis City Council member Shea Flinn wants the the city to study the idea of creating an ‘adult entertainment district’ for strip clubs and other sex-oriented businesses. He wants a committee to look into a possible location as well as answer the question whether “this is the right thing to do.” Is it the right thing [...]

In this Easter season (which continues until Pentecost), I’ve been reading and reflecting on the Acts of the Apostles. This book continues Luke’s Gospel beyond the resurrection of Jesus. Acts of the Apostles powerfully depicts the way in which the Holy Spirit empowered the disciples of Jesus to take bold action in spreading the good [...]

In a world in which most religions begin with God the Father or some sort of male image of the divine, and are founded by male figures such as Moses, Buddha, Jesus and Muhammad, do we undervalue Motherhood or the role of women in faith? I grew up in a Catholic family. Early on I was [...]

Is imposition of the death penalty a political/partisan matter or a religious/moral matter? Why is the death penalty largely being carried out in the South? Should Tennessee abolish the death penalty? Christians just celebrated Easter, the great feast that recalls God’s overturning of the death penalty. In the resurrection of Jesus, God rejected…[Read more]

Does God care who wins football games? And what do you think of Tim Tebow and his public displays of devotion? “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father” (Matthew 10:29).   God cares about every detail in creation no [...]

Can you offer those who find the holidays depressing a word of solace, comfort, hope, even joy? My father died this past August 24th. This will be our first Christmas without him. Christmas Eve, our family’s traditional time to gather, will mark exactly four months since his death.  We are all still grieving.  We miss his steady loving [...]

Should the federal government be providing breakfast, lunch and supper for school children in poor families? Should the faith community be doing more? Should we as a society feed hungry children? I have to wonder what kind of people are we that this is even a question. Should we just let children go hungry when we know full [...]

Which translation of the Bible do you use and why? Why King James? Why not King James? How do you decide which translation/version of the Bible or other holy scriptures to use? I typically use the New Revised Standard Version translation of the Bible. I’m not a biblical scholar, but through some study and asking biblical scholars, [...]

In recent weeks, the Occupy Wall Street protests have drawn attention to the issue of economic disparities in America. Those facts seem particularly significant here in the poorest big city in America. Do too few have too much money and power? What values are at issue here and how should we process these protests? Occupy Memphis [...]

Next month, Mississippi voters will be asked to redefine the word “person” in the state constitution as including “every human being from the moment of fertilization, cloning or the functional equivalent thereof.” Supporters say this new “personhood” language defends the constitutional right to life for all persons, including a baby in the womb.…[Read more]

When someone we know is nearing death, how do we help them die with dignity? How do we help the family navigate the medical desire to preserve life at all cost? How can we prepare to die with dignity? Over the years I have learned a great deal from my Dad. Most of time he taught [...]

Sunday marks the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. How has America changed since then? How did 9/11 change faith in America? What impact did 9/11 have on the soul of America? The decade since the 9/11 attacks reveals a continuing erosion in our lives of compassion, justice, and faith in God and a continuing development [...]

How should religious leaders and people of faith respond to people (especially the poor) who come to America either legally or illegally? People who claim to be disciples of Jesus, who claim to be believers in his God, who is also the God of the people of ancient Israel, the God of the prophets, the God who gave the law after [...]

These are fretful times. The economy seems to be in another tailspin. We’re witnessing gridlock in Washington, panic on Wall Street, riots in London, high unemployment and budget cuts all around. Are these difficulties strictly economic and political, or are there moral, ethical and spiritual dimensions to our economic woes? How are these…[Read more]