Our book on fasting is now available. We worked on this book for about a year; it is one of the volumes in Nelson’s The Ancient Practices Series. Phyllis Tickle is the General Editor and other volumes now available are by Brian McLaren and Robert Benson. I hope you can find a way to use it in your own spiritual disciplines as well as for Lent this year. It is called: Fasting: The Ancient Practices . Ruth Haley Barton says... Read more
Where am I wrong? If the monies that were designated for non-abortion access NGOs are now being shifted (because of President Obama’s rescinding of the Mexico City Policy) to abortion-access NGOs, then we have a major issue: The rescinding of the Mexico City Policy is not about reducing unwanted pregnancies, it’s about reducing unwanted infants. Why say this? (1) The Reagan-Bush policy: The monies were shifted from abortion-access NGOs to non-abortion access NGOs by Reagan and Bush. Those monies were... Read more
Here is what I know: (1) Reagan, Bush, and Bush pulled funding to any international NGO (non-government organization) clinics that provided access, through referrals, to abortions; (2) Clinton and now Obama have undone the Reagan-Bush-Bush decisions. (The pulling of support by the Repubs is called the Mexico City Policy or the “gag order.” The Dems decision essentially brought support for NGOs in line with current policy in the USA — namely, abortions are legal.) AND… (3) Some argue that the... Read more
We continue in our series of the meaning of the word “gospel” in the New Testament with how Peter uses “gospel.” Today we look 1 Peter 1:25. 22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. 23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. 24 For, “All men are like grass,... Read more
In our series on Bible readers, based on our book The Blue Parakeet: Rethinking How You Read the Bible , we have taken some brief looks at the bad habits or exaggerations in our reading of the Bible. I want to examine another bad habit: seeing the Bible primarily as a Lawbook. What happens when the Bible becomes the LawBook? What happens to our view of God? Does treating the Bible as LawBook promote judgmentalism? There are a couple of... Read more
There was quite a dust-up about the prayers at the Inauguration. Analysis of the prayers of others is not something I’m fond of, so I stayed back but this week’s prayer in The Book of Common Prayer — to be repeated by all Anglicans and Episcopalians — speaks volumes about Bishop Gene Robinson’s inaugural prayer. I begin with how Robinson described what he would be doing in his prayer: “Bishop Robinson said he had been reading inaugural prayers through history... Read more
Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our Savior Jesus Christ and proclaim to all people the Good News of his salvation, that we and the whole world may perceive the glory of his marvelous works; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Read more
Yes here’s the final results of evolution: Manual typewriter … then Electric typewriter … then PC … then Apple. We bought one in 1984 and have not looked back! What’s your favorite Mac story? (more…) Read more
Here is our 3 month old grandson with his father learning to “talk.” We love it. Read more
We’ve got a new President and a new first lady (and a new website). Jonathan Williams has an excellent set of suggestions on learning to turn “them” into “us.” One of our students at North Park doing good. Art Boulet asks “emerging into what?” Derek Leman‘s excellent reflections on “texts” and “textuality.” Dan Kimball asks if blogs, Twitter and Facebook can be addictions. Thinking of writing a book? Listen to an editor (one of the best). Four things for Christians... Read more
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