God Said It. I Believe It. That Settles It–Best of “Bearings Online” #4

Last updated on: January 2, 2018 at 8:50 am By Vance Morgan

I occasionally write articles for Bearings Online, the online publication of the Collegeville Institute for Ecumenical and Cultural Research in Collegeville, MN–I spent a transformative sabbatical semester there in Spring 2009. I received word yesterday that two of my articles are included in their “Top Ten Articles of 2017” list (I wrote three for them in 2017)! This article, published last November, came in at #4. It is an exploration of how Protestant fundamentalism has influenced how Americans read and interpret... Read more

The Hungry Person’s Bread–Best of “Bearings Online” #5

Last updated on: December 28, 2017 at 11:52 am By Vance Morgan

I occasionally write articles for Bearings Online, the online publication of the Collegeville Institute for Ecumenical and Cultural Research in Collegeville, MN–I spent a transformative sabbatical semester there in Spring 2009. I received word yesterday that two of my articles are included in their “Top Ten Articles of 2017” list (I wrote three for them in 2017)! This article, published last April, came in at #5. It describes a classroom conversation with a bunch of sophomores about whether Christianity and capitalism... Read more

The Poorest Deserve the Best

Last updated on: January 1, 2018 at 9:17 am By Vance Morgan

Defend the poor and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy; Free them from the hand of the wicked. (Psalm 82) In his 2006 Christmas sermon at Canterbury Cathedral, then-Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams tells the story of a visit he made the previous week to Holy Family Hospital in the Palestinian West Bank as part of an ecumenical pilgrimage with the heads of several other Christian denominations in Great Britain. Holy Family Hospital has... Read more

When God Doesn’t Meet Our Expectations

Last updated on: December 28, 2017 at 9:31 am By Vance Morgan

What would you call a friend who is as unpredictable as the weather, who shows up unexpectedly behind the scenes to arrange things in your favor on occasion but who never seems to be around at crunch time? What is the right word to describe an acquaintance who you are sure can help in difficult situations and never is available, but who also has just the right word or advice when you are least expecting it? Unreliable? A godsend? Disappointing?... Read more

Grace and Peace

Last updated on: December 20, 2017 at 9:27 am By Vance Morgan

Grace means suddenly you’re in a different universe from the one where you were stuck, and there was absolutely no way for you get there on you own. Anne Lamott A few years ago, Jeanne surprised me for Father’s Day by taking me to a concert in Maryland by one of my favorite musicians. I discovered Fernando Ortega’s music three or four years ago after plugging the name of one of the few Christian artists I can stand into Pandora.... Read more

A Rashomon Nativity: Why the Details of Jesus’ Birth Don’t Matter

Last updated on: December 22, 2017 at 10:37 am By Vance Morgan

A few weeks ago, I was asked to take on a temporary administrative position in addition to my teaching duties this coming semester. After agreeing to do so (a decision I’m sure I will regret many times over the coming months), my first step was to go on a fact-finding and listening tour, talking individually with the dozen or so people most knowledgeable concerning the issues I will be grappling with. As I spent an hour or more with each... Read more

When a Prophet Speaks, People Listen (or at least they should)

Last updated on: December 22, 2017 at 8:33 am By Vance Morgan

The third Sunday of Advent is always John the Baptist Sunday; last Sunday’s reading from the Gospel of John places us in John’s world as he “prepares the way” for the one who we await. It also reminds me of a man with whom I had a tenuous relationship, but whom I miss a great deal. On a beautiful, crystal clear June afternoon I sat in an alpine meadow at the foot of the spectacularly majestic Grand Tetons in northwestern... Read more

Despite the Best Efforts of Evangelical Christians, Roy Moore Lost

Last updated on: December 19, 2017 at 8:35 am By Vance Morgan

Last Monday I posted on Facebook that although I had deliberately stayed away from politics on this blog for a few weeks, I might not be able to continue doing so if Alabamans had the bad judgment to send Roy Moore to the U. S. Senate in their special election the following day. I was already sketching out in my head what I would write about evangelical Christians and white people (which are often treated as synonyms) who apparently would... Read more

Faith in a Post-Truth World

Last updated on: December 16, 2017 at 9:36 am By Vance Morgan

I really didn’t say everything I said. Yogi Berra A bit over a year ago, the Oxford Dictionary named “post-truth” as its 2016 word of the year, an adjective defined as “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Those of us who pine for the good old Comedy Central days of “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” followed by “The Colbert Report” know that the... Read more

The Great Homesickness

Last updated on: December 14, 2017 at 7:18 am By Vance Morgan

I was the world’s most pathetic camper. One of the (alleged) rewards for 12-15 weeks of learning Bible verses throughout the winter was the privilege of attending BMA (Bible Memory Association) camp for a week in the summer; I earned this reward for what must have been 7-8 years running when I was young, starting when I was about eight years old. And I hated camp. If you use your imagination a bit, you can probably picture why camp for a... Read more