Source: Karl Vaters There are some bullies in church leadership. No, not all of them. Not even most of them. But there are too many of them. I doubt even one of the bullies realizes it. But they’re bullies, just the same. Yes, that’s a strong accusation to make. I haven’t written it lightly. It’s the result of a great deal of thought, prayer and experience. And it may be a little surprising if you’ve read my recent post, 12 Ways to Disagree Online Without... Read more
Last Tuesday I put up a post addressing the supposed revelation that camels in Genesis prove scripture wrong (The Mighty Mysterious Camel). Headlines include such memorable tags as “the camel that broke the bible’s back.” Despite the claims made in many of the media reports the late date for domestication of camels and the challenge this poses for Genesis is nothing new. Many scholars, not just skeptical or liberal scholars, see the camel as anachronistic, an addition by a later... Read more
About a decade ago it became avant garde theology to contend the classical Christian theory of atonement was nothing less than divine child abuse. That is, the image of a Father punishing a Son, or exacting retribution at the expense of his own Son, or punishing a Son for the good of others — each of these became a way of deconstructing classical atonement theory. Unfortunately, this approach works from a very simplistic image: a father, a son, and a... Read more
New Yorker: If this is accurate, it is unacceptable. Is Toobin fair? As of this Saturday, February 22nd, eight years will have passed since Clarence Thomas last asked a question during a Supreme Court oral argument. His behavior on the bench has gone from curious to bizarre to downright embarrassing, for himself and for the institution he represents. This point was especially apparent on January 13th, when the Court considered the case ofNational Labor Relations Board v. Noel Canning, which... Read more
What’s it like for a woman in ministry when it comes to the words of Jesus to love our enemies? What happens if some of the “enemies” are your parishioners? This post is by one of my friends, a female pastor, who met the challenge in a wonderful way. Loving indiscriminately becomes difficult when the one to love is hard to love. For me, it has been quite a challenge to love those who have been very outspoken of their... Read more
What did Paul say to folks on the Areopagus? What would Paul have said to a philosopher like Seneca? NT Wright, in chp 14 of Paul and the Faithfulness of God, ponders precisely these sorts of questions and it makes for engaging reading. When we ask, as we must in this chapter, how the Paul we have come to know might have responded to the philosophical world of his day, we might be forgiven for thinking that he would sweep it... Read more
The Brewers have adopted Hank. Read more
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O Lord, You have taught us that without love whatever we do is worth nothing: Send your Holy Spirit and pour into our hearts your greatest gift, which is love, the true bond of peace and of all virtue, without which whoever lives is accounted dead before you. Grant this for the sake of your only Son Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Read more
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