Interesting (and correct) take from GetReligion on Piers' recent interview.

Who Knew Piers Morgan Could Be Thought-Provoking? -- Get Religion

The Huffington Post's Jon Ward is a thoughtful reporter and one who uncovers ghosts on his political beat with regularity. Earlier this week he wrote about the tension between evangelical morality and politics as it relates to changing marriage law to include same-sex couples.

Yesterday he wrote about something particularly fascinating. In the video above we see Piers Morgan and Suze Orman and Ryan Anderson. They're debating the topic of marriage with Ryan T. Anderson. Their behavior is somewhat appalling but typical and represents a tension for those who do seek to define marriage in such a way as to include same-sex couples:

Piers Morgan's CNN segment on Tuesday night was a vivid illustration of this tension. Morgan invited Ryan T. Anderson, a 31-year-old fellow from The Heritage Foundation, on his program to debate the issue. But Morgan did not have Anderson to sit at a table with him and Suze Orman, the 61-year-old financial guru, who is gay. Instead, Anderson was placed about 15 feet away from Morgan and Orman, among the audience, and had to debate from a distance.

The message, in both the language used by Morgan and Orman, and the physical placement of Anderson on the set, was clear: they thought him morally inferior. Evangelical leader Tim Keller talks about this dynamic -- opponents of gay marriage being treated akin to bigoted groups such as white supremacists -- in yesterday's piece.

What I liked about Piers Morgan's approach here is that it was just a very transparent and honest approach to that taken by many media figures. As the Washington Post scandal showed, through ignorance or inability to understand the arguments made by marriage traditionalists or some other problem, many in the media are convinced that they're fighting the equivalent of racists and that, as such, horrific treatment of the people and their arguments is justified.

Dan Darling has a great article on civility, and the need to teach it as pastors.

Let's Teach Our People Civility -- Dan Darling

When you mention the word civility to most people, it reeks of spineless compromise. People confuse kindness and magnanimity with a lack of courage. But the Scriptures overwhelmingly tell us that courage and civility are not enemies, but partners in communicating truth to the culture.

I'm amazed at how often in the New Testament; we are commanded to show respect, honor, and love toward people with whom we disagree. I've been particularly arrested by Peter's emphasis in 1 Peter. This is a letter written to a church that was marginalized in the culture. Christians were considered a fringe, even dangerous movement in the Roman Empire and would soon be the target of centuries-long bloody and cruel persecution. Peter, who himself would be martyred for the faith, describes followers of Christ as "exiles" and "temporary residents" (1 Peter 1:17; 2:11). Peter urged his followers to lean on Christ for courage to "stand firm" in their faith (1 Peter 5:9).

At the same time, Peter continues to encourage Christians to combine civility with their courage. Consider his instructions to "Honor everyone, love the brotherhood, fear God, and honor the King." (1 Peter 2:17) or for Christians to "keep their conduct honorable (1 Peter 2:12). He says we should not return "reviling for reviling" (1 Peter 3:9) and urges believers to engage modern arguments with "gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15).

These are radical concepts in our opinionated culture, even among Christians. In fact, whenever I write or speak on the idea of civility, most of my pushback is from other believers who feel I've "gone soft." It's because we've confused incivility with courage. We think that the bravest people are the ones with the loudest voices.

We need to teach our people that it matters not simply what we say, but how we say it. Quite often the pushback Christians receive is not because of our faith, but because of our behavior. We act like jerks and pass it off as martyrdom.

Barefoot Church is a fascinating and unique place. For one thing, they always want to have a meal with church-- which is not easy when you are a church their size. Tony Morgan gets more info in this interview. Also, I have an interview with the pastor, Clay NeSmith, here.

Sushi and the Gospel? -- Tony Morgan

This week we connected with Matt Jacobs, Executive Pastor of the Barefoot Church to talk about Easter, innovation and the church's sushi bar.

TONY: I think Barefoot Church may be the only church in America with a sushi bar and a hibachi chef. Can you share the story of the Lakeside Bistro with our readers?

MATT: Lakeside Bistro is definitely a unique concept. It was born out of the heart of "eating a meal and serving a meal." When you eat at the restaurant, you not only experience the finest sushi in town, but you also serve a meal. Possibly to a child in Swaziland or someone in our own community.

TONY: Why do you think that it is so important for churches to make innovation and outside the box thinking a high priority?

MATT: It is vital to be innovative and always think outside the box because we are part of a culture that does just that. Always keeping things relevant to where people truly are allows their hearts to be more open to hear the never-changing truth in a fresh and impactful way. Jesus did anything he could to connect with people with an outside the box strategy, why shouldn't we?

TONY: I noticed that on Easter Sunday you are planning to have Sunrise Beach Baptisms. What are some innovative ways that you've used your location to build connection and outreach opportunities?

MATT: Beach Baptisms are just one of the innovative ways we've used our location to build connection and outreach opportunities. We know God has placed us exactly where we are for a reason, so we strive to leverage even our location for His glory. People come out this way for the beach, so we have them put on their God Jersey through baptism at the beach! We are in a community with a lot of entertainment venues so we strive to be the best in town. Our building is actually an old entertainment venue and we use it to our advantage with the hopes that it will draw someone in to hear the truth of grace that will change their life forever! We have bright lights, tables and lime green umbrellas out front, relevant music, and a free meal before every service...anything to capture people's attention so God can capture their heart.