I work in a profane office. There is a lot of cursing. A lot. In the office and in the secular world in general, I often refer to myself as a person of faith, rather than as a Christian. In part, to not project my profane cynicism as representative of Christianity. And also to distance myself from those who claim the name of Christian, but who are even worse examples of a Christian than I am — bigots, charlatans, and... Read more
Americans didn’t want more foreigners so legal immigration to the United States was intentionally difficult. Federal policy severely limited the number of immigrants allowed into the country. The rules were designed to screen out criminals and reject the kind of foreigners that some said threatened the culture of the United States or took jobs from Americans. The application process was extensive, and many were denied the opportunity to enter the country. Quotas were limited, and filled quickly, with waiting lists... Read more
The Bible is clear. Jesus was born to a poor, young, unmarried mother and raised by a man who wasn’t his biological father. Jesus was a refugee; his family fled across a desert to a foreign land, searching for safety and a better life. Jesus was an unemployed, homeless day laborer living under the brutal control of an oppressive government. Jesus opposed the religious leaders of the day — men who misinterpreted scripture and sided with the politicians. Jesus was... Read more
“Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.” Working on my high school newspaper, a classmate and I wrote an article about suicide. I don’t remember which of us physically wrote the article. (My friend was much, much smarter than I was, so I assume he did most of the writing.) I do remember talking with him about my interview with a suicide hotline official. A singular fact from the interview has stuck with me, all these decades later. Look at... Read more
Happy birthday, William Butler Yeats. The Second Coming by W.B. Yeats June 13, 1865 – Jan. 28, 1939 Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity. Surely some revelation is at hand; Surely the Second... Read more
Discrimination is wrong. Some people need to be told discrimination is wrong. For whatever reason, they never learned that it’s wrong to discriminate against others because of skin color, or gender or size or age or sexuality or nationality or religion. It’s un-Christian, un-Biblical, un-American and unfair. Some people claim God made everyone equal, but then they treat others unequally. They demand preferential treatment or are blind to the benefits they receive because of their gender or race. They think they are... Read more
The Royal Wedding was eye-opening for many people. The Right Rev. Michael Curry, leader of the Episcopal Church in the USA, preached for 13 minutes about God’s love. (A transcript of his sermon is below.) This is what Progressive Christianity looks like. This is the message of Jesus. Love God. Love others. There are some who complain that his message of God’s love is incomplete — that Curry didn’t mention God’s judgement, or repentance. These complaints say more about the... Read more
I saw these bumper stickers on a truck recently. There’s so much going on here, I didn’t bother to look at the other side of the vehicle. It’s a toxic mix of nationalism, violence, racism, ignorance, gun fetishism and bad theology. For example, armed resistance to tyrants is not obedience to God. Christ calls us to put away our machine guns, and follow him peacefully. Sherman and Grant didn’t own slaves, Lee and Jackson did. Other stickers portrayed the owner... Read more
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