I was struck yesterday while I was preparing my cartoon on the death of Brennan Manning that he called Jesus “the human face of God”. More of this thoughts deserve to be mentioned here: “To live by grace means to acknowledge my whole life story, the light side and the dark. In admitting my shadow side, I learn who I am.” and, “When I get honest, I admit I am a bundle of paradoxes. I believe and I doubt, I hope... Read more
I received an email from a friend informing me that Brennan Manning died yesterday. I can find no news articles confirming this, but his Wikipedia page dates his death as yesterday and his official website announces his passing. Manning was an American author, friar, priest, contemplative and speaker best known for his book Ragamuffin Gospel: Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat-Up, and Burnt Out. As an advocate for the marginalized, he’s my kind of people. His voice for the church-abused and... Read more
All adversaries are worthy. If they weren’t they wouldn’t be on the battlefield. This is always my assumption of all persons engaged in theological, ecclesiological and philosophical discussion in a public manner. I was not surprised but saddened with some of the responses to the suicide of Rick Warren’s youngest son last week. But I’ve been cartooning and writing online long enough to know that vitriol finds full expression on the internet. I get it every day. But that’s the... Read more
So many people would still be in the church if they were allowed to process their questions openly without fear. Why churches generally discourage questions is obvious. If you haven’t read my post on “Questions Not Permitted”, click here. The bible itself advocates the importance of growth and progress. It is full of stories of people moving out of their present container into new frontiers. The history of the church and her saints illustrate the same, including St. John of... Read more
I want to comment on an article on Charisma Magazine’s website. It is called Six Women Leaders To Avoid written by Lee Grady. Grady has his own website, The Mordecai Project, a site for his Christian ministry devoted to healing, protecting and empowering women around the world. He calls himself an advocate for women and desires to see them set free into Christian leadership. His mission is clearly summed up in this sentence: “… I am not giving up in... Read more
We live in a stereotypical world. Stereotypes abound. Like labels, they make life easier because it is predictable and understood. Stereotypes lessen mystery. If women would just be the stereotypical woman and men the stereotypical man then wouldn’t life just be easier? Our societies and cultures impute upon women an ideal of what they should be. Add upon that most religions that impute upon women not only the cultural ideal of what they should be, but also impute upon women... Read more
Ya I pick on pastors a lot. Bad ones. Never good ones. And there are good ones. Ya I pick on churches a lot. Bad ones. Never good ones. And there are good ones. Here’s a good pastor who could never find a good church. Or is it a bad pastor who kept getting good churches and didn’t recognize it? Or does he not know the definition of good? Or has he always been a bitter old coot? Read more
For many it doesn’t matter if a person is well developed spiritually or intellectually or has developed excellent leadership skills. If this person has developed breasts and female genitalia then it invalidates the former. This person’s unsuitable for ministry because she’s a she. Gender trumps intelligence, spiritual maturity and leadership. It is said that we are just talking about someone’s role, not their value. It is insisted that they still appreciate intelligent, mature, strong women, but that their place has... Read more
This is an old cartoon I like. I usually do one frame. But this is a two frame. Giving and receiving. Freely you have received. Freely give. That’s about all I have to say about that. Read more
Everyone knows how it feels to be objectified. Everyone. But some are more objectified than others, like women and those of the LGBTQ community for example. The church, when it succumbs to the subtle lure of power, objectifies people generally. People become commodities. Numbers. Members. Objects. They become something to reach out to, to convert, to assimilate into the institution, to belief and behavior modify, to manage, and to get to heaven. They’ve become targets. It’s when people are objectified... Read more
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