As most of you know, I have my blog hosted at Patheos, a wonderful interfaith site for thinkers, writers, readers and activists to come together and wrestle with any number of faith-related topics. Recently, Deb Arca (our Progressive Christian Portal editor) and Tony Jones (a noted blogger for the same section) invited several of us to take part in an Advent blogger challenge. We had 100 words or less in which to respond to the question: Is God coming? Following... Read more
I’ve offered some criticism in the past about the Occupy Wall Street for a general lack of focus or articulation of an endgame. However, I don’t want this to be mistaken for a lack of empathy for their cause. On the contrary, the basis for the outrage as expressed by Occupiers is at the heart of the years-long financial crisis from which most of us are still reeling. But my concern is that too many people still don’t entirely follow... Read more
Recently I wrote an article about preachers and the risks of false prophecy we face in the pulpit. One might assume in my challenge of a preacher’s inclination to focus only on “saying beautiful things” and sharing those ideas that would prove popular with their congregation that I am advocating for a brooding, unpleasant tone in offering sermons. But in fact, this would be far too easy; the call of an effective preacher is far more challenging. First, consider the... Read more
My eight-year-old son, Mattias, just recently had his eighth birthday, complete with a magician, bunnies, doves, party favors, sugar, balloons, cards, effusive attention and – of course – gifts. Some of his presents from relatives arrived by mail several days early, some even a week or more before he could open them, which is a recipe for torture in a second-grader’s world. He got his sights set on on one particular box, enshrouded in mysterious brown paper that gave nothing... Read more
First Penn State coaches are embroiled in sexual abuse scandal, and now Syracuse. I’ll spare everyone the details, since if you don’t already know them by now, you’ve probably avoided through an act of personal will. Suffice it to say it’s ugly. Horrific. The effects of such abuses will affect the lives of victims forever. So is there any good whatsoever to be found amid the darkness of such sexually morbid exploitation? Maybe I’m being naively optimistic, but I’d like... Read more
My first job in a church was as a music minister. I loved the senior pastor I served with, as did the congregation we faced every Sunday morning. He taught me a lot about worship, preaching and how to connect with people. One time we were at lunch, reflecting on the previous week’s service, when he made a statement that seemed benign at the time. “I love my job,” he said. “every week, I get to stand up in front... Read more
I’ve been working my way through Peter Rollins’ new book, Insurrection, when I came across a section that intersected with a question raised in my latest “Banned Questions” book, Banned Questions About Jesus. The question posed in the book is as follows: Why did Jesus cry out “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” from the cross? Did God really abandon him? If so, doesn’t this mean that Jesus wasn’t actually God? I’ve heard a number of explanations... Read more
I’ll admit I’m a little biased since my brother-in-law, Patrick Don Vito, edited this movie, but I think it merits spreading the word. It’s based on Mitch Albom’s book of the same name. Personally, I appreciate Mitch Albom’s rather open-ended approach to faith. So yes, the Piatts will gather around the TV next Sunday night (November 27th) when the movie premiers to check it out: Read more
Say what you like about Occupy Wall Street; this is funny stuff. Just goes to show that, whenever humans are involved, there is the opportunity for both tragic error and big laughs. The Daily ShowGet More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook Read more
I was asked to read and reflect on a portion of Matt Woodley’s new mediation book, “The Gospel of Matthew: God With Us” by InterVarsity Press. I’m always wary of such requests, partly because of my more heterodox approach to scripture. But this latest addition to IVP’s Resonate Series left me with some meat to chew on, as well as a challenge. I felt pretty good after getting my assignment of reflecting on the meditation for Matthew chapter 23, both... Read more
Christian Piatt
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