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EssayTheology

The Politics of Worship

This morning I propose that the increasing fatalism within the Christian community, the resignation that the world is as it is, is a product of our thin worship. I'm suggesting there a connection between the evangelical yawn in the face of injustice and the hyper-spiritualized…
Jason Lief
October 12, 2018
Biblical StudiesEssay

This is America

The time has come for our politics to die; it has become too sick and twisted to save. Our politics has become infected with privilege as the rich and famous dance on the backs of the poor. Increasingly, the poor are disproportionately sent into wars…
Jason Lief
September 28, 2018
Essay

The Spirituality of Bob Ross

You'll never guess what came on the UPS truck the other day—a life-sized cardboard cut out of Bob Ross. You know, the curly-haired PBS painter who made painting look easy. I used to watch Bob Ross; he inspired me to want to be a painter.…
Jason Lief
August 31, 2018
Essay

Old Vans and Faded Memories

I'm guessing many of you have a photo app that likes to remind you of memories from years past. This morning my wife texted me this picture: You might be thinking "So what? It's a van." Yes... yes it is. The story behind this van…
Jason Lief
August 17, 2018
Essay

Overwhelmed and Feeling Fine

Twice now I've had people ask me to give more examples of how we can love our neighbor. A common theme in my sermons is how loving God and loving neighbor are deeply connected. We can't love God if we don't love our neighbor—that's what…
Jason Lief
August 3, 2018
Essay

Stumbling into Awe

This past week I co-led another Prairie Serve, an event that brings high school students from the U.S. and Canada to Sioux City, Iowa to see how God is at work. We partner with Siouxland Unity Church, a Lao community in Sioux City, the Gospel…
Jason Lief
July 20, 2018
Essay

Thank God for President Trump

High school students know how to play the game. The ones I taught knew what to say and when to say it. In class, I'd listen to a student give a heart warming articulation of the Christian faith, only to hear through back channels that…
Jason Lief
July 6, 2018
Essay

The Hiccups and Heidegger

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-rmGy9gWvE Tonight I get to play music with my son. We started a band called The Hiccups. We mainly play covers—the Foo Fighters, Jack White, Nirvana, and Rage Against the Machine. My son, Christian, started playing the drums a few years ago, and I figured we…
Jason Lief
June 8, 2018
Essay

The Shape of Graduation

The Shape of Water won the Oscar for best film last February. It tells the story of a mute woman who falls in love with an amphibious creature held captive by the U.S. government. The films of director, Guillermo del Toro, tend to incorporate fantasy…
Jason Lief
May 25, 2018