Nonviolence is a vague doctrine for most of us. Is it absolute? What about self-defense? What about the need to protect one’s neighbor from violence? And then there is the question of eating habits. Can nonviolence be practiced without vegetarianism? See what I mean? The questions make the teaching so vague that it can disappear in a sea of exceptions. Is this idea simply an ideal to which we strive? If so, does it fall into the category of “nice... Read more
“The Invisible Hand never picks up the check” is a credited to both historian Naomi Oerskes and science fiction writer Kim Stanley Robinson. It is a useful metaphor for exploding one the most pernicious beliefs about neoliberalism and morality. If consumers spend their money in morally preferable ways the market will follow. We can spend our way into a better world. It is nonsense, of course. I was shopping for office supplies the other day. I wanted tablets of paper... Read more
Pastors live on the shelf in the pantry of many people. We are dry goods. Pastors are convenient. We are taken off the shelf whenever someone needs something from us. Other professional people feel the same way. You need your attorney when legal troubles arise. The physician is required when needed. How many times have we felt that we are put on hold by lawyers and doctors? Why didn’t the pastor come running when my Aunt Margaret was sick? Pastors... Read more
I taught a class after the world ended. On this day, 28 years ago, I spoke to a class in the State University Named for Taras Shevchenko in Kiev, Ukraine. I received an invitation because I was an American Christian teacher. The Soviet Union had collapsed 11 months earlier. The world and the life of these students had ended…and begun. Ukraine was an old nation but a new state. It was part of the Commonwealth of Independent States that Russian... Read more
No historical paradigm change is evident to the people living within it. Christian faith is either dying or undergoing a change. Which is it? Good question. Remember the Postmodern Twenty years ago, “postmodern” was the buzzword church leaders used to explain the changing times. The new generation was “postmodern.’ The church needed to reach out to “postmoderns.” The prevailing assumption was that the Age of the Enlightenment or modernity was ending with a new one beginning. It is hubris for... Read more
When someone is in active addiction, their loved ones are at a loss. How do you have sympathy for anyone who will not take care of themselves? It is hard to have sympathy for someone who won’t try to do better. It appears stupid to care for the uncaring. But you fear what the consequences for the other person will be. So, instead of feeling helpless you act and hope the other person will come to see the error of... Read more
The one person a bullied person hates more than the bully is the friend who stood by letting it happen. No reconciliation is possible. I have a difficult time forgiving people who knew better and allowed it to happen. It is a strong resentment. This is the question that comes to mind for people who have had worse evils committed against them. Can I counsel forgiveness? In almost thirty years of ministry, I cannot bring myself to tell people, “let... Read more
“Don, you need to get what you’re saying into the trough so the pigs can get to it.” I had never been criticized for having a vocabulary before then. It was an interesting experience. The person who gave me this advice had been a public school teacher before training to be a minister. I knew what he was telling me. The way I spoke reflected my years of reading and learning to speak in a more accurate manner. I was... Read more
The other day I was called anti-Christian. It was by a progressive member of my denomination. Of course, the person does not know me very well. I am not writing this in response to them. The accusation though got me thinking about how accusations fly around easily. “You are a bigot,” seems to imply “while I am not.” A statement or a position can be called unchristian but unless the statement is along the lines of “I oppose Christianity,” it cannot... Read more
My home church hired a younger preacher. This happened when I was very young. The older man that my parents described as “grouchy” was replaced by one of their generation. I understood he was from Australia. In fact, he had moved here from Australia. Before he lived there he was a barber in Georgia. At some point, he decided to attend the two year intensive training of the local School of Preaching. He was personable, dynamic, and racist. The latter... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In