By Daniel Darling “Good Friday is always so somber. So we are going to have a celebration service tonight,” the minister said as he introduced a service with mostly upbeat worship choruses. I cringed my way through it, not because I didn’t love the music that rightly celebrates Jesus’ victory over sin and death, but […]
By Daniel Darling Last year, Jeannie and Jim Gaffigan announced they were stopping production of their popular The Jim Gaffigan Show, which portrayed a fictitious version of the everyday life of their devoutly Catholic family. Jeannie, the producer of the show, explained to disappointed fans on Twitter their reasoning: “Our real lives, marriage and family […]
By Daniel Darling “Leaders are not nice,” I was told by the man who ordained me for ministry, “which is why I’m not sure you have the qualities to pastor.” These are interesting words, whispered into the ear of someone who is about to be ordained for ministry. But they fit with the ethos of […]
By Daniel Darling “We are Muslims,” my neighbor told me after I knocked on his door to greet him a few days after his family moved into our neighborhood. “There are some things we hold dear to us,” he explained. “I hope you understand.” Our families have since become friends, and he and I have […]
By Daniel Darling So by now you’ve discovered that the church you attend is imperfect. The minister could use more verve in his delivery. Your small group has a few oddballs and that one self-proclaimed theological savant. The nursery smells like a barn. The greeters have bad breath. If you get any two Christians […]
