The Day of Atonement, known as Yom Kippur, is the highest holy day of the Jewish calendar.  It begins at sundown on Friday, October 11.  It was the only day of the year when the high priest entered the holy of holies at the temple in Jerusalem. Atoning sacrifices were...

Two weeks ago I left my phone and laptop chargers in my hotel room after checking out of a hotel room.  The next day I found out that I gotten the date wrong for the funeral of a close friend I had agreed to preach at.  These were mistakes of distraction and/or...

I was in the midst of an intense reverie in my living room at home.  I was sixteen years old, a junior in high school. The Tet offensive (February 1968) had just claimed the lives of hundreds of American troops in Vietnam.  At the time I supported America’s war...

We are engaged in spiritual warfare.  So claims the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), a loosely organized network of extreme conservative Christian leaders and congregations, which has steadily and stealthily moved from the fringes of our culture into the mix of the...

Adam and I discuss working to promote kindness and depolarize America through initiatives like the Campaign for Kindness and Braver Angels. Adam shares insights on his church’s growth, guiding principles and the importance of fostering intellectual and spiritual discourse within diverse congregations. We also explore how faith communities can model respectful political dialogue. Cathy Bien, lead director of communications and public relations at Church of the Resurrection, also joins to discuss their collaborative projects and campaigns to encourage kindness and empathy in advance of the 2024 election.

“Take that necklace off.  It’s un-American”, was the greeting a woman gave me while working as a door-to-door salesman in Indianapolis after my sophomore year in college.  I knocked on thousands of doors that summer. I was always unannounced, and unexpected.  Many...

Rabbi Matthew D. Gewirtz joins me to discuss his journey towards becoming a rabbi, the challenges faced in his role, and his deep involvement in interfaith work. The discussion also covers the Hebrew concept of machloket (disagreeing without rancor), its relevance in the current crisis between Israel and Gaza, and the importance of interfaith dialogue both for religious leaders and the wider community.

“I had to hold on for dear life.”  Most of us have said this at one time or another, accompanied with some degree of breathless panic or abject fear.  Many of us can recall situations when we felt that if our grip wasn’t tight enough, we were certain we would fall...

Dr. Taylor shares his faith journey and we discuss his involvement in religious pluralism and extensive research on the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) movement. The episode delves into the implications of this movement, the need for intra-Christian dialogue, and the challenge of addressing radicalization within American Christianity.

It was perhaps my most embarrassing experience while serving as a bishop.  We were in Canterbury, England in 2008, all 800 of us – bishops from across the world, plus spouses and staff, gathered for a three-week gathering called the Lambeth Conference.  It was not...