Is it correct to call clergy the designated readers of the church? “My therapist tells me I have PTSD from the church.” A former youth director spoke openly with me many years ago. “These people don’t read the Bible,” he said. He was being very open with me a pastor in The United Methodist Church about his experience. I never had any experience with his congregation, but I thought I understood his point. I am not sure his temperament was... Read more
Theology is speculative without some sense of practice. Liberation theology is the most practical of theological families. Yet, the practices most often employed are political and social in nature. I am a liberationist. I am also a pastor. How do the two aspects work together. Dutiful pastors are generalists and busy with many tasks. Some pastors believe their work is primarily the Sunday sermon. A good reason to think this way is due to the fact that is when we... Read more
A friend died from a heartbreaking addiction. I mean that literally. When I first heard about his death, I was told his heart was the issue. He had so many years of sobriety that I did not think beyond that. Of course, I knew other people who abused alcohol who died with a booze related heart attack. But no, not this person. Him relapse? Unthinkable. This person who worked hard to help others including me get sober? No way. And... Read more
It is a slogan we hear, “where the Bible is silent, we are silent.” It is never true. There are a lot of topics and issues where the Bible is says nothing. But that never keeps people from speaking about them. Too often I hear the argument made, “Jesus never said anything about abortion or homosexuality.” It is apparent that argument never settles anything. The Bible is silent about abortion. Yet, people try to make the Bible speak on the... Read more
One can either be lonely or alone. Loneliness is a terrible feeling. We feel unloved, abandoned, and avoided. The world looks dismal. Being alone though can feel restful or refreshing. I try to be alone when I write to avoid distraction. When I am lonely, I wish for every possible distraction. The prophet Elijah thought he was alone when he was really lonely. He realized how he felt when life took an abrupt turn on him. Boasting Elijah 2 Kings... Read more
What does John mean when the writer promises eternal life? A critic recently said all the talk about acceptance in the church today is good, but what about telling people how to get to Heaven? Does going to heaven mean eternal life? A lot of people raised in churches today think so. Is having eternal life the same as having abundant life (John 10:10)? The Johannine letters and gospel speak the most on this subject. Matthew 25 makes the comparison... Read more
My Annual Conference saw 264 congregations leave last Saturday. Love let them go. It was all that was left to do. What I feared just a few years ago happened. My church split. And I could not participate in the vote. I could not help feeling it was all wrong. In a previous post, I talked about my reservations about celebrating Holy Communion at the time. I received the body and blood of Christ hoping for grace. I found it.... Read more
This Earth Day, I am reading, for the first time, A Sand County Almanac. I know. It is long overdue that I read it. At least no one is authorized to pull my eco-card for it. I bought what amounts to a 70th anniversary printing and was equally pleased to see an Introduction from Barbara Kingsolver. Icing on the cake, as they say. I know very little about Aldo Leopold, aside from the cool name. And so I am looking forward... Read more
It is a common holy week theme. Can you sit with your Judas? Do we even wish to do so? This Saturday we will formally separate congregations from our Annual Conference. Unfortunately, we are not separating the clergy members who have lied, misinformed, and manipulated the prejudices of lay members to maintain their own incomes. True, these people don’t attend clergy meetings. Our most recent clergy convocation was a beautiful experience for a number of reasons. One of the largest... Read more
Why did Jonah need to stay in the belly of the fish for 3 days? It is a question we almost never ask. Jesus mentions the 3 days and nights in the fish to point toward the resurrection. For early Christians, Jonah became a symbol of the Resurrection. Curiously, that is not the point the book of Jonah makes. The story of Jonah is about mercy. 3 Days of Judgment Jonah is swallowed up by the fish after persuading the... Read more
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