The First Sunday of Christmas, 2008 Has anyone else here seen The Lord of the Rings films? I hope so. They are great movies. I have seen the third movie now two times. I assume I will see it again and probably in the theatre, too. Who knows how many times I will watch it on video or DVD. I am already looking forward to the extended version. I have seen the two preceding films several times each. I have... Read more

Christianity is at the cusp of losing its identity, message, and support among the younger generation.  More and more folks refer to themselves as being more “spiritual” than “religious.”  What happened?  Where did the Christian community go wrong, and how can it appeal to those believers who are hesitant to call themselves a Christian?  Here’s a hint:  it will take more than simply playing contemporary music at Church… (more…) Read more

Well, it’s happened again- no, you didn’t waste another perfectly good hour listening to ‘Car Talk,’ but yet another pundit brought up the Personality Cult of Barack Obama. It’s an easy attack: all these “Obamaites” who thought Obama would bring about a utopia are going to be let down. Obama’s cabinet is just politics as usual. Hillary Clinton can’t be change, her name is Clinton, and we’ve seen this before.   And of course there were jokes like this one... Read more

People don’t want to have to look poverty in the face. Since Senator Edwards personal life scandal broke, poverty took a back seat. Even as the economy and the current economic crisis took center stage in the campaign, and post election work, very little attention has been paid to the poor. There is plenty of talk of Leeman Brothers, and Goldman Sachs and the financial troubles of Big Auto, but no one is talking about our brothers and sisters who... Read more

Sermon: The Third Sunday of Advent, Year B 2008The Community Church of WilmetteDecember 14, 2008 The Prophet’s Light   There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.   I’m not sure how to talk to you about Light.How do you talk about something that is both a wave... Read more

I always enjoy the drive from Oakland to California’s Central Valley.  I love looking out of the car window as you drive down the highway and fields and orchards whizz by.  Yesterday the drive was different than I remembered it.  Due to heavy fog, I could barely see a few feet beyond the car window.  The valley was blanketed by thick fog-called tule fog by locals-typical of this time of year.  It gave the sensation of driving into oblivion, a... Read more

If there is one thing all Christians can agree on–left and right, conservative and liberal, evangelical and mainline, whatever–it is that Jesus was no centrist.   (more…) Read more

Jamie:Last night I had one of the most beautiful, redemptive, and awakening experiences of my life. At the same time, however, I do not remember a time when I have felt more heartbroken, verging on hopelessness, over the words and attitude of the American Christian Church.   Onleilove: Last night I witnessed Harlem and Columbia come together for the first time. I experienced dancing in the streets, and witnessed the political engagement of citizens across New York City, regardless of... Read more

Let me be clear: Divine justice operates in an entirely different economy than the one on which our President-elect and his advisors are focused. Therefore, we cannot expect for the American economy to be ruled by the same grace that rules the divine economy. And yet, as per usual, we can take some important lessons from our faith lives to our public lives. (more…) Read more

There is a danger in our polarized society of loudly critiquing missteps by our political or ideological opponents and remaining silent when they do the right thing.   Today, Bob Jones University just did the right thing and showed humility and Christian repentance that is both difficult and often lacking in politically-charged debates. The university put out a statement admitting that their policies of banning black students until 1971 and banning interracial dating until 2005 had “conformed to the culture... Read more