Church, Culture

Being White and Christian in America

Allen Bingham

This past week I had the opportunity to hear Robert P. Jones, Ruby Sales, and Michael W. Waters discuss race and religion in the church. It disturbs me that religiously unaffiliated white folks are more likely to see the racial discrimination the way that black Christians than white mainline Protestants, white Catholics, or white evangelical Protestants. While Paul proclaims one Lord, one faith, one baptism … Christians are not obviously of one mind. Guess who needs to move?

Read John Goehring’s “What Is Wrong with White Christians?” for further context.

Gospel, Practices

On the Edge of “Yikes”

Allen Bingham

When were you last out on the edge professionally? personally? Bob Goff reminds us that whatever pushes us to the edge evokes a “Yikes!” Bob Goff:

I’m like, “Yikes.” But you know what you guys, isn’t that where we want to live when you’re following Jesus? Right on the edge of yikes. Cause guys like me … He talks about me in scripture. He talks about guys like me, maybe some of you that are comfortable. And that’s the deal. I’ve got a beautiful wife and a pickup truck and a house and I’m living right in the middle of comfortable and he says, “Bob, live right on the edge of yikes. Cause you know what? Then you’ll actually need me.” Guys and gals that aren’t comfortable, they actually need the Holy Spirit, right? The Comforter. That’s so over my pay grade, but our job, get out on the edge of yikes.

 

Church, Practices

Run Your Race

Allen Bingham

The comparison trap distracts you from becoming the person you were created by God to be. Robert Madu calls us to pay attention to the goal, not the competition:

You know another reason why I don’t like running on the treadmill? I don’t know if you noticed this when you’re on the treadmill, have you ever noticed that you’re doing a whole lot of movement, a whole lot of breathing, but you’re not going anywhere? You’re in the exact same position.

What a beautiful metaphor for comparing yourself to other people. Whenever you compare yourself to somebody else, all you end up doing is exerting a lot of psychological, emotional and physical energy trying to keep up and compete with somebody you were never called or created to be. And at the end of all of it, you realize, “I’m in the exact same place I was when I started.”

Meanderings

Read more blogs!

Allen Bingham

Seth Godin reminds us to focus on reading … good stuff, not that filtered by Google and Facebook. Ponder Seth’s advice and then get an RSS reader (I use Digg and Feedly):

Other than writing a daily blog (a practice that’s free, and priceless), reading more blogs is one of the best ways to become smarter, more effective and more engaged in what’s going on. The last great online bargain.

Good blogs aren’t focused on the vapid race for clicks that other forms of social media encourage. Instead, they patiently inform and challenge, using your time with respect.

Here’s the thing: Google doesn’t want you to read blogs. They shut down their RSS reader and they’re dumping many blog subscriptions into the gmail promo folder, where they languish unread.

And Facebook doesn’t want you to read blogs either. They have cut back the organic sharing some blogs benefitted from so that those bloggers will pay to ‘boost’ their traffic to what it used to be.

BUT!

RSS still works. It’s still free. It’s still unfiltered, uncensored and spam-free.

Meanderings

The Magic Shop of the Brain

Allen Bingham

Krista Tippett interviews neurosurgeon James Doty on the intersection of physiology, compassion, heroism, and courage. Doty is on the cutting edge of our knowledge of the brain and the heart: how they talk to each other; what compassion means in the body and in action; and how we can reshape our lives and perhaps our species through the scientific and human understanding we are now gaining.