John Beckett

I’ve never been very passionate about evolution. 10th grade biology plus some extra-curricular science reading convinced me it was an accurate explanation for the development of life. That allowed me to check that box on my “things I need to know” list and move onto other subjects I found more engaging. But over the past [Read More...]

David Sparks of Temple Spiritualis Compassare and John Beckett of Denton CUUPS Last night I had the honor of participating in Together in Faith, a 9/11 Service of Remembrance and Hope held at the First United Methodist Church of Denton.  I was one of the “faith group representatives” who spoke on the theme “I believe” [Read More...]

Caring for our elders is the collective responsibility of society, not an individual responsibility. While I try to stay informed, I do what I can to stick to the news and avoid political commentary – it just gets my blood pressure up. But every now and then something slips through my filters and raises said [Read More...]

I’m coming in late on the most recent flare-up about the “Spiritual But Not Religious,” but some of you may not have seen it, and in any case I have a few things I want to discuss. This episode began when this essay by Rev. Lillian Daniel of the United Church of Christ was published [Read More...]

I just finished listening to the new Wigglian Way podcast.  The Wigglian Way is one of the longest running Pagan podcasts – now in its 6th year, with 87 episodes.  It’s one of only a few I’m subscribed to – while it’s light-hearted and humorous, it has plenty of good content and very little of [Read More...]

I’ve got a new piece up on No Unsacred Place about the proposed pipeline to bring oil from the Alberta tar sands to Gulf Coast refineries.  It’s an ugly project that I oppose, but the situation is complex and deserves some explanation and some thought. Go read it, and while you’re there check out some [Read More...]

There will be an interfaith service of peace and hope on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks at 6:00 PM at the First United Methodist Church of Denton.  I’m very happy the Denton County ministers who organized it (including DUUF’s Rev. Pam Wat) reached out to include as many faith groups as possible – [Read More...]