The following is how one group of Christians in Spain over 1000 years ago dealt with pedophiles. A cleric or monk who seduces youths or young boys or is found kissing or in any other impure situations is to be publicly flogged and lose his tonsure. When his hair has been shorn, his face is to be foully besmeared with spit and he is to be bound in iron chains. For six months he will languish in prison-like confinement and... Read more

I have taken the Belif-o-matic test several times… It’s actually helps me track where my thinking has changed on certain things as My results have changed… One thing has remained though… I am always told I am 100% a Orthodox Quaker but when I look at what that means it becomes quite clear to me I am NOT an Orthodox Quaker… ALSO Seventh day adventists get high marks… but again that is NOT me. The rest of the results make... Read more

The above cartoon by Daryl Cagle illustrates how simplistic the Media’s coverage of the sex abuse in the Roman Catholic Church is. The RCC has always been a target for the media… and in this case they have brought the criticism upon themselves. However I do think much of what I have encountered has been extremely biased. My wife is Catholic and she is suffering a great deal because of this. I think her experience is representative of Catholics as... Read more

For over 20 years Lamin Sanneh has been an outspoken voice about how Christianity is growing throughout his native continent of Africa. Although he was born a Muslim and received his Ph.D. in Islamic History, he is a convert to Christianity and is a professor of World Christianity at Yale Divinity School. I recently read his 2003 book Whose Religion is Christianity? (William B. Erdmans Publishing). In it Sanneh offers an invaluable perspective on how Christianity is growing and becoming... Read more

Today the Church celibates the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. This day inaugurates Holy Week. The last week of Jesus’ life before his crucifixion on Friday. For centuries the church has cried out on this day “Come let us Run With Him.” Let us ask ourselves today how we can enter in the Journey toward the cross as the Aroma of Christ to the World. As you look at this icon reflect on where God is calling you this week.... Read more

For those of you who like Slam Poetry (with the full knowledge that some of you don’t) I thought you might like this. It’s by a young slam poet, Chris Tse. Much of his message is needed, but I think it brings up a lot of stuff that needs to be worked through a great deal more. He’s apologizing, but in such a way that I feel he is mostly attacking the Church without engaging in the areas he’s attacking.... Read more

The Word was made man and he lived among us – John 1:14 In 9 months we will celebrate Christmas. Because of this the church in the west and the east recognizes today as the feast of Annunciation. This is the day we remember the day God first initiated his saving work of incarnation by becoming flesh in the womb of the virgin Mary. For me this festival has a great amount of significance this year. Many of us within... Read more

A couple of my friends here at North Park helped create a new translation of the Bible quite a number of years ago called The New living Translation. If you don’t have one you should really pick it up. It’s a great bible in many ways…. The Publishers of the NLT are giving one away everyday right now through their contest Breakthrough to Clarity so getting your hands on an NLT is easier then ever. PLUS Entering the contest is... Read more

The Christian life is unique among the Abrahamic faiths in the amount of freedom it’s adherents have in the practice of spiritual disciplines. Christians often pray, fast, give alms, make pilgrimages, and make professions of their faith, however within most Christian traditions how that is done by the average lay person is often left to the person themselves to decide. What emerges out of this are a myriad of tools and options all designed to help Christians focus on God... Read more

After moving away from a fundamentalist background to the Episcopal Church Robert E. Webber spent many years of his life helping evangelicals become more deeply rooted in the historical faith they are a part of. He is known to many today through his “Ancient Future” series of book, which have helped provide a context of historical Christian worship and formation for the evangelicals of today. I recently read his book Ancient Future Evangelism (Baker Books, 2003). In it he posits... Read more