The Orant

I'm not sure if you caught the interview with Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe on the Colbert Report. In it she talks about abductions in Africa, and how important it is for people to care. Sister Rosemary was such a joy and an inspiration in the video I thought I would share it with you all here: Sister Romemary was listed as one of Time's 100 most influential people. They write of her: In Gulu, Uganda, Sister Rosemary has made it her mission to provide within an orphanage a home, a s … [Read more...]

One of the books that changed my life is Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton. It was the first book of Chesterton's that I read, but certainly not the last.  The part of the book which has made the largest impact on my own life is a section where he compares the logician to the poet. I decided I would turn that section into a picture so I could share it on my Pintrest. I thought you all might like it too, so I have included it here for you as well. If you want to read the section in it's entirety I en … [Read more...]

Over the weekend I read through Phyllis Tickle's new book The Age of the Spirit. For those who don't know Tickle, she is considered by many to be the godmother of the emergent church movement. She has traveled the country preaching that the church is in the midst of a new epoch which she has called "The Great Emergence." This book is a continuation and deepening of her previous work on this subject. In this book Tickle traces seeks to look back at church history to try to make sense of where we a … [Read more...]

This week I wrote an Article for Theologues talking about the "Seven Reasons I believe in the Trinity." I hope you will take a look! Here is an excerpt: I believe in the Bible. I find it is a beautiful book and when rightly divided it is a reliable rule for what I believe and how I behave. However there are a great deal of things I believe in which are not explicitly mentioned in the scriptures. Chief among these is the doctrine of the Trinity. Although the word trinity is never mentioned … [Read more...]

As I have written about before, I love to spend my free time listening to lectures and podcast about religion, theology and the Bible. I thought I would let you all know that Yale has recently posted a fascinating series of lectures on the Old Testament. I have been really enjoying the course so far. There are 24 classes, and each one is 45 minutes long. I thought I would share one video. They are taught by Dr. Christine Hayes, author of The Emergence of Judaism.I found the following video t … [Read more...]

Last week  the Obama Administration unveiled the Third U.S. National Climate Assessment (NCA)—the "most comprehensive, authoritative scientific report ever generated about climate changes that are happening now in the United States and further changes that we can expect to see throughout this century." What is shows is the need for urgent action to combat the threats from climate change.Of course there have been some who have expressed some skepticism, to which John Oliver responded with hila … [Read more...]

I love The Lord of the Rings. I love the mythology, the lore, the songs, the poetry, the drama, the characters, the world, the races, the battles, the romance, the themes, and the style. There are few things I love more than reading through a chapter of the story. LOTR is one of those books that I can open to any page and enjoy because I know the story so well. I have read through the book numerous times. I have adapted the story for my children. I love it!Because I am such a Tolkien nerd, … [Read more...]

A couple weeks ago the Gospel reading recounted one of my favorite stories of Jesus. It is the story of his walk down the road to Emmaus with two of his followers after the resurrection. They don't recognize him at first, for his identity is hidden. As they walk Jesus opens up the scriptures, showing all the ways that the law and the prophets lay a foundation for the cross and the empty tomb. Finally, after a day of walking with them through the scriptures, Jesus is invited to stay with the two … [Read more...]

There has been a lot of discussion about the movie Noah's portrayal of the Biblical account. I personally came out in favor of the movie's interpretation. One of the most controversial scene's was Noah's retelling of the book of Genesis up until the flood. In my opinion it is was of the best parts of the movie. It's a poetic weaving of the narrative through the mythos of the ancient world alongside the scientific worldview that we bring into the story today.Over the weekend Protozoa … [Read more...]