Recent Posts
The “Marginalization” of the Christian Right
This week I received a funding solicitation email from a conservative Christian organization with the following justification for their plea for support: . . . the church is being marginalized by a culture that is increasingly accepting homosexuality and same-sex marriage . . . While I don’t want to deny that groups such as this are feeling [...]
The Importance of Making Memories With Our Children
One of the reasons that I am so committed to community: church, family, school, etc. is because I don’t believe we can move forward in healthy ways unless we understand our past. No, this is not a new concept, but it seems that many conversations about innovation, creativity and growth are void of and understanding of and grappling with our shared past. [...]
Pastor Worley and the Slippery Slope of “Speaking the Truth in Love”
[Photo By davidz] Every time I blog about homosexuality and the church, I get at least one email or comment that says that I am either wasting my time or sowing dissent. As a straight, married, Asian American Presbyterian, I agree . . . this is getting old. I dread the fact that issues of gender, race, [...]
Avoiding Sexual Misconduct in Pastoral Leadership
[Photo By Per Ola Wiberg ~ Powi] It seems as though the national media as well as my own denomination has been absent of any major “sex scandals” as of late. Sure, the cynical part of me knows that it’s only a matter of time before the next shocker, but the the ever-hopeful part of me [...]
Gimme a P-L-G-R-M! What does it spell?
Well apparently Landon Whitsitt and crew did not get the memo that paper is dead So why the heck did I just donate a little bank to help kickstart this new quarterly magazine? Because I have a heart for people leaping out in faith in order to change the world for the better and PLGRM [...]
Trusting God as Some Leave the Presbyterian Church (USA)
[Photo by Maja Larsson ] I remember during the early days of planting the church that I pastored for 12 years. While I loved the work, there were stressors everywhere. Anxiety inducing questions arose all the time: “Would anyone show up?” “Would they stay if they did come?” and “Who’s going to make the coffee?” By far, though, [...]
Bruce’s Friday Five + Five v5.18
[Photo by OliBac] ONE | Other than through personal relationships and/or from one White guy to another, I am not sure there will ever be a good way to talk about and unpack the dreaded P-word, Privilege. So while way outside of the scope of this old school Galaga boy’s gaming world, I found this post from a, “ . . [...]
Mental Health Awareness Month and the Justice for Jeremy Project
A few weeks ago, Connie Lum contacted me on Facebook letting me know about her nephew and her work around mental health issues. Since May is Mental Health Awareness Month, I “sat down” and asked her a few questions about herself, her nephew and the Justice for Jeremy Project. Here are her responses: Who is Connie Lum Perez? By profession, [...]
PC(USA) Moderator Candidates’ Wildcard Question
For you Presbyterians out there, admit it, you know you are getting all excited about our upcoming General Assembly (July, 2012) just around the corner in Pittsburgh. The exhibit hall schwag, the stylish local host aprons and the endless arguing over what word works best: For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet or So (FANBOYS). Yes, we Presbyterians know how [...]
Gay AND Christian . . . Welcome!
So very excited about a new blog that Kimberly Knight is hosting as part of the Progressive Christian Channel on Patheos called Coming Out Christian. I don’t know Kimberly really well, but I do know her to be a thoughtful, passionate and strong voice in conversations about justice, technology and faith in Jesus Christ. I can think [...]
Religion and Media: An Interview with Mark Hoffman
As part of the launch of a new Religion and Media Concentration in its Master of Arts in Religion program at Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, I was asked to interview one of their profs as part of their Religion and Media blog tour. I have no real connection to Luther Seminary, but this looks like a [...]
Why Romney’s High School “Prank” Matters
[Photo by Austen Hufford] As some of you heard, last week the Washington Post reported a story about presidential hopeful, Mitt Romney, and his participation in an incident that many are calling “bullying.” Taking place in 1965 while a student at Cranbrook School, Romney, along with a group of friends, held down fellow classmate, John Lauber, and cut [...]
The Presbyterian Church (USA)’s Recent Round of Layoffs
As some of you may have heard by now, my denomination, the Presbyterian Church (USA) has gone through another round of lay-offs at our national offices. There will be plenty of time to debate the motivations, ramifications and the overall future of our denomination’s institutional structure, but at this moment we grieve for and with [...]
Bruce’s Friday Five v5.11
My Friday Five is somewhat of a mishmash of stuff I have recently seen around the interwebs, some of which I actually kept track of and others, I just remembered upon the writing of this post. Enjoy. ONE | If you don’t mind people sneaking furtive glances at your chest to see what the heck is printed on your [...]
Grace Ji-Sun Kim – Mother’s Day: I Can Only Imagine
As part of my Guest Blogging Series, this week I am glad to welcome back Rev. Dr. Grace Ji-Sun Kim as she muses on Mother’s Day. Grace received her M.Div. from Knox College and her Ph.D. from the University of Toronto. She is an Associate Professor of Doctrinal Theology and the Director of the Master of [...]
Metta World Peace and Racism in the NBA
Colorlines recently posted interview by Jamilah King as he sat down with David Leonard, author of After Artest: The NBA and the Assault on Blackness. Leonard, professor of Ethnic Studies at Washington State University, is challenging the notion that race plays no factor in sports and that actions taken by the NBA regarding individual players as well as the [...]
Job Creation in the Presbyterian Church (USA), Part II
[Photo By CarbonNYC] Last week as part of the new blog from The Presbyterian Leader, I posted my first contribution, Job Creation in the Presbyterian Church (USA). Lifting up an idea from soon-to-be seminary Graduate, Jack Jenkins, that post was not meant to be the first of many parts, but after further conversations, I decided to add another idea [...]
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