The churches are not coming apart and failing because of beliefs. It is happening because of certain attitudes among believers. I have spent most of my adult life in pulpit ministry. I once believed orthodoxy was the primary need. Then I thought maybe the true enemy was fundamentalism. Attitude is highly valued in pop culture. It is also the annihilator of churches. I have three categories of attitudes that are destroying churches. Just for fun, I will use movies to... Read more
Yes. You read that correctly. Disciplining instead of discipling. I had an experience with this concept some years ago when I was a Youth Minister in a congregation in North Carolina. We read a passage from the New Testament that says, “among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander whom I turned over to Satan, so that they may learn not to blaspheme.” (1 Timothy 1:20) The leader then discussed the context of the passage. But the youth group asked, “These two... Read more
Delicacy is the quality most feigned by obnoxious people. To claim, “I am offended,” gains the moral high ground. It does not matter if one is on the left or the right, religious or not, northern or southern. The belief that one’s own feelings should matter while those of other people do not is an evil trap. Practicing this belief is sinful. And it is socially acceptable if others agree. My experience of ministry demonstrates the sin of delicacy ruins... Read more
The Sea of Galilee is a wide lake of the Jordan river. The Jordan flows toward the south to the lowest place on the Earth’s surface – The Dead Sea. It gets its name from the salt of the surrounding desert causing no life to survive within the lake. Some people say no birds fly over it because there is no fish to eat and no water to drink. When one views the Jordan from the south, it hardly looks... Read more
Why use the label “Progressive Christian?” C.S. Lewis argued that putting Christian beliefs alongside any other social goal eventually made it difficult to separate the two. Mere Christianity is the only goal of the believer. Yet, it is often provides the pitfall Lewis seeks to avoid. Can there be a Christianity without engaging the world? Is it easy then to argue an opponent’s goals are “worldly” while yours are “just basic Christian beliefs?” I propose today to explain 5 Christian beliefs... Read more
There is more evidence of the fragility of the American social fabric. It is the same fragility of the American church. Once we start associating one too closely with the other we have a problem. Why? Christians do not make a distinction between the two in their minds. Fragile things are treated as precious. Unfortunately too many people do not believe it is worth it. Fragility And Faith The fragility of the social fabric is more emotional than actual. Consumerism,... Read more
The paradox of Fear and Social Meanness among Christians in the “Bible Belt” is frustrating to clergy. We hear how wonderful it is for Southern politicians to be unafraid of identifying as Christians. And we watch as these elected officials take the most reactionary actions against the benefit of our citizens. The past year we saw the “leaders” respond in fear and cynical brutality towards our neighbors. Politics Before People The Tennessee legislature put politics over people when it decided... Read more
Child-like faith is not the same as childish faith. There is a lot of that going around. Unfortunately, there is not enough of the other. Perhaps it is our own fault. We are too sophisticated. And we believe suspicion is our best protection. I am the suspicious type. The saying goes, “the burned child avoids the fire.” And I have been burned. Other times, I lit the fire by having barriers instead of boundaries. Jesus And Faith Jesus talks about... Read more
Serious Christians know there are some troubling passages in our Bible. Some of the righteous commit terrible evils. Almost everyone knows about the David, Bathsheba, and Uriah the Hittite triangle. A few people will be uncomfortable doing so, but will say something about the offering of Isaac. And there are others examples that involve the sins of individuals. But what about situations that are of particular interest to Progressive Christians? What about structural evil? The First Egyptian Slavery We are familiar... Read more
I spend most of my time exploring everything in the realms of the Spirit and the Secular. More accurately stated, I work in these two realms of existence. It is fun then to explore the unseen realm of particle physics. Subatomic physics challenges the analytical mind. How is light both a particle and a wave? The imagination is exercised to explain what is demonstrated as real by the computer you are using to read this. But, the theoretical side is... Read more
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