As the Christian world grieves and celebrates the Passion of Christ during this Holy Week, climate justice activist are gathering in New Orleans to resist the issuing of new leases to destroy life in the Gulf of Mexico and livelihoods in the Gulf South. For a deeper understanding of what is going on, The New American Journal article ”Water Rises Against Drilling Leases” offers a useful context. Please see the following facebook page for more information about this climate justice... Read more
God must be replaced with a symbol capable of generating a different and more productive response and organizational pattern to life. Anthony B. Pinn, The End of God Talk: an African American Humanist Theology I. Christian theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline. Communion without confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ.” Now, humanists aren’t about repentance, baptism, communion or any... Read more
In life, there are many things we can learn from other people. And there are many times when we have to be “the other people” in order to learn. In Unitarian Universalism, there is a tradition of blessing babies and young children when they become a part of the congregation by giving them a rose with all of the thorns removed. While some babies manage to stuff the bloom in their mouths before parents or ministers can react, for the... Read more
God must be replaced with a symbol capable of generating a different and more productive response and organizational pattern to life. Anthony B. Pinn, The End of God Talk: an African American Humanist Theology I. One thing we know about ritual is that we can’t escape it. From shaking hands to respectful calm in the TSA line, certain ritualized actions are expected, even required. When I talk about writing, I point out that writing flows best when accompanied with rituals—a... Read more
This week, I’m spending three days in Georgetown, DC, as part of the post-graduate program at The Bowen Center for the Family. The program is to deepen understanding in Bowen Family Systems Thinking. Today, I heard a presentation that made me think, so I’m passing it on, in case it might spark some thoughts for you. The presentation was about how families preserve–or fail to preserve–wealth across generations. Citing a study by the Allianz Insurance Company of over 3,000 wealthy... Read more
I. Who We Are Religions and philosophies serve as heuristic devices for life, providing shape and meaning to what otherwise may seem a shapeless, chaotic rush. For some, religious views are chosen by birth or circumstance, for others religions are a matter of passing indifference in the rush toward the goals of a given social order. Some people, a fortunate few, have both the chance and take the chance to consider which heuristic device is best for them in pursuing... Read more
This week’s New Yorker had an article about the resurgence of airships. Sure, we’ve seen blimps floating over football games. But, after the Hindenburg crashed in flames (New Jersey, 1937), the world moved on to airplanes, and then rockets. Still, the romance and the usefulness of airships maintained their appeal among a very few. Now–against the odds–airships seem poised for a comeback. For instance, you could load an airship with cargo–four football fields’ worth!–which could be easily shipped to a rural... Read more
In Divinity School, it became clear early on that I’m much more a pastor than a theologian. Yes, in part, it’s because of the dim, flickering bulb of my brain. But it’s also that I was drawn to ponder the questions under the questions. When someone asks about the efficacy of prayer, maybe it’s to develop a theoretical framework linking concept to practice. But maybe it’s that a grandmother is in the hospital, or a marriage has started to unravel.... Read more
Systems thinking is not like memorizing the periodic table. It’s like learning how to play violin. The concepts are not difficult, but the application can take a lifetime to master. Of Murray Bowen’s 8 inter-locking concepts, perhaps the most well-known is “triangles,” for which people often use the word “triangulation.” Maybe the second most familiar is the concept of “differentiation of self.” In this post, I’ll describe Bowen’s differentiation of self scale; then, I’ll share 3 “puzzle pieces” that help me... Read more
The changing religious landscape in the US is a bit hard to get one’s head around. For the sake of clarity, let’s imagine ourselves in the midst of something I’ll call the Average Christian Church, ACC. On a Sunday morning. We find ourselves repeating the Apostles’ Creed— I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic and apostolic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Let’s say this is... Read more
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