A few years back I bought (and then mostly didn’t read) David H. Kelsey’s Eccentric Existence: A Theological Existence. It’s really long (two volumes!), which is no argument against it. It has come out on my desk a couple of times, then gone back on the shelf, because it’s going to take time to read, with long stretches available for focus and concentration, something that seems in short supply these days. But good Lord, here I am doing what I... Read more
There are good reason for lawyer jokes. Unethical and predatory lawyers are a real thing. It’s okay to dislike certain doctors. Some have horrible bedside manner. There are good reasons to dislike politicians. Some politicians are incredibly crooked. Similarly, it’s good to notice, critique, and challenge the hypocrisy of the church, and clergy more specifically. Many of us deserve suspicion and challenge. However, good hermeneuts of suspicion know that an inference from an abuse to a proper use is not... Read more
A guest post by Elle Dowd, #DecolonizeLutheranism Diversity as a concept has become harmful. It’s one of those things like “niceness” that is attractive to white people, particularly white liberals, because it sounds really good in theory without demanding any kind of sacrifice from white people. In reality, “diversity” has been used as a tool to deny people of color equal access to power. Goals of diversity give marginalized and dispossessed people crumbs to quiet them, in order to maintain a... Read more
2015 permanently changed the face of North American Christianity. We are all witnesses to, and in many instances participants in, a seismic shift in the patterns of church life. Carey Nieuwhof in a recent post considered the disruptive church trends of 2016. I agree with many of the items on his list, and also think there are other shifts, less organizational, less practical, that are in fact more fundamental. Almost everything on my list indicates this will be the year... Read more
In connection with the truth as inwardness in existence… the law is: the same, and yet changed, and still the same (Søren Kierkegaard, Concluding Unscientific Postscript to the Philosophical Fragments, Swenson and Lowrie translation, 254) Last year around this time, I jumped on the #mythreewords bandwagon. It was a fun experiment attempting to develop a mission statement for the year in advance of living it, but I found, generally speaking, it didn’t pan out very well. Life as a dad and... Read more
Bo Sanders and Tripp Fuller of Homebrewed Christianity may be happy to know that I most frequently listen to their podcasts while crossing the portion of southern Missouri between Kansas City and Joplin. I strap on my old school Koss Porta Pros and join my tribe. The podcast is eminently suited to long road-trips. 50-60 minutes of ear-candy for theologians of all stripes. Here’s a link to their web site and a blog that features the podcasts: http://homebrewedchristianity.com/2014/12/21/the-birth-of-god-and-a-new-jc-part-2-keller-aar/ Let me back... Read more
In the experience of the Spirit, prayer is found to be a two-way relationship, not just a talking at God, but God (the Holy Spirit) already cooperating in our prayer, energizing it from within, and no less also responding in it, alluring us again, inviting us into a continuing adventure. This is the ‘real thing,’ making ourselves a channel for the Spirit’s work, an intermingling of the human desire for God and the Spirit’s interceding to the Father. So, most... Read more
Many churches across the country are having to discern in new ways how they will respond to changes in their state laws guaranteeing freedom to marry for same-gender couples. As part of my letter of call, my congregation called me to speak for justice on behalf of the poor and the oppressed, and to guide the congregation in proclaiming God’s love through Word & deed. This central part of the call of a pastor is not always easy. Working for justice... Read more
Sunday mornings I find a church. I confess that for a few years in college and even in seminary my biological clock had me waking late on weekends and sometimes I missed service… but in my adult years, I have found I just don’t feel good not being in worship on Sundays. Because I’m a working pastor, most of the time this means leading worship. But on those Sundays when we are traveling, I always look for a good local... Read more
Spoiler alert: This commentary/review contains major spoilers, inasmuch as any review can be said to “spoil” a myth embedded in the collective consciousness of Western civilization. I tried to see this movie in an innocent a state-of-mind. I did not re-read any portions of Genesis in advance. I read almost no reviews, consulted no biblical commentaries. Simulating a second naiveté is not easy. Most clergy have read and re-read this story, first as children in the Sunday school version–then later... Read more
Clint Schnekloth
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In