Associate Pastor at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in St. Paul, a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Husband to Oby Ballinger. Progressive. Math nerd. Gustavus Adolphus College and Yale Divinity School alum.
Soul-sick weariness is the inevitable consequence of working so tirelessly in defense of a status quo that dehumanizes others and steals their breath. The easy yoke Jesus offers is work that exposes injustice, dismantles broken systems, and establishes true peace. … More Freedom from the Burden of Brokenness
We’ve been in this place too many times before, grieving the senseless killing of yet another black man. This time has got to be different. So I’m trying something different. Today’s sermon is a conversation about race with Gloria Dei member Marissa Hagan. … More A Conversation about Race
Why is it that we feel so good collecting donations of groceries to give to people in need but don’t feel outraged that so many in our community are too poor to buy groceries for themselves? Why don’t we show up in such force at the Capitol or City Hall to demand a living wage and stronger social safety nets? … More Justice Demands More than Donations
None of us have experienced Christ in the flesh the way those earliest disciples did. We have only ever experienced Christ in the bodies of one another. And that’s exactly where we experience Christ today. … More Christ in Each of Us
By all accounts, this pandemic has been most difficult for those already living on the edge. In the weeks and months ahead, let us be a voice for those whom Jesus called “the least of these who are members of my family.” … More As You Did to the Least of These
