Alone, these three words are enough to spark debates and arguments that will continue into the wee hours of the morning. Depending upon who you aretalking to, you may be conversing for months. Years. I am writing because, last Sunday night left something of a bittersweet taste in my mouth: sweet, in...

My church is offering what might be an unusual parenting class. There is a psychology professor in town who goes to our church, and we’ve got her presenting a Sunday School class that emphasizes adolescent brain development. I suspect that this class is unusual for two reasons. First, most parents...

January 20, 2009 was a day that I’ll always remember.  We brought up a TV so everyone—from the library patrons to the staff—could watch the inauguration of Barack Obama.  Despite a heated and sometimes vicious election season, we watched the inauguration not as Democrats and Republicans, but...

If you can today, pray for this situation. Why?  Because we should pray for all these situations.  But also because Burnside contributor Diane Nienhuis is a teacher at Creston High School.  We hope she (and the rest of the students and staff) stays safe if the situation doesn’t cool down. Here’s...

I mentioned my friend Dave Wenzel a few weeks ago in this post. I met Dave about a year and a half ago, and he’s been a great friend ever since. Dave is a sweet, kind guy who takes life head on. He’s one of those guys who seems to have a genuine joie de vivre which would be annoying in...

King Solomon taught that there was nothing new under the sun.  But King Solomon has never met my friend Tyler. Tyler has made something new.  Something that might bring the Christian world to new depths.  He has effortlessly synchronized two conflicting art forms.  And I suspect that our Puritan...

One of the things I like about being a centrist is sometimes I can take on provocative topics. In fact, the more I try to find middle ground in controversial issues, the more I like to read form both sides. Sometimes I find that I learn more from those I agree with the least. Last summer I read a book...

Last Sunday, Greater Grace Temple, a church in Detroit, Michigan, brought three hybrid SUVs onto their altar. During the service, Bishop Charles Ellis lead his congregation in prayers for the bailout of the auto industry to go through. Yesterday, I posted an entry about the service, and I admitted that...

Yesterday, Reuters reported one of Detroit’s largest churches, Greater Grace Temple, rolled three hybrid SUVs (a Chevy Tahoe, Ford Escape and Chrysler Aspen) onto their altar, just in front of the choir. Reverend Charles Ellis then lead the congregation in prayer, asking that Congress bail out...

Be sure, as you’re celebrating your holiday, to be praying for denizens of the Gulf Coast and Caribbean. Thankfully, no one in Cuba died, but many homes were lost. Let’s hope the Southern states fare as well or better. Include our very own Chad Gibbs in that. H says he’s safe in...