Roger Ebert, probably the most influential film critic ever, has died at age 70. His famous thumbs up or down could make or break a film. We spoke a few years ago. I had the pleasure of having a conversation with Ebert when he used my cartoon drawn in sympathy for Christopher Hitchens when he was dying of cancer. He posted it in The Chicago Sun Times.The cruel and unusual verbal attack Hitchens suffered from Christians on top of his illness... Read more
Men can be misogynist without even knowing it. I claim to be a feminist and yet presume I possess traces of misogyny simply because I am a male, raised as a male, educated as a male, ordained as a male, and served as a part of a male-dominated leadership of an institution historically dominated by male power, mindset and ideology. The first step for any man, if he wants to end this, is simply to admit it. The rest is... Read more
I am a male. I am a feminist. I obviously perceive through my male perspective. But I am learning every day from women how to be a better feminist. Just yesterday a woman responded to my cartoon “the death of God”and its commentary, providing her perspective on how the theology I addressed could be used to demean women. I appreciated that. The problem with so much theology is, like the idea of Divine Right of Kings, men think it is... Read more
Ha! This cartoon is based on a bunch of lies I was fed by the church by misled and misleading individuals. I kid you not, but I’ve been told all these things, so I decided to construct a conglomerate of them all. Here you go: “Worldly eauty is a distraction from the beauty of God’s.” (eyes) “Do not question authority!” (nose to smell a rat) “You must always carry the burdens of your brothers.” (shoulders) “Your hands are only to... Read more
God emptied himself. Theologically it is called “kenosis“. God abandoned himself and died to himself on the cross. Christmas says that God desolated the God of Beyond and became Emmanuel, God with us. Easter seals the deal and slammed the door shut to the transcendent God of Beyond. The cries of Jesus asking why God had abandoned him show that God had, indeed, fully emptied himself of himself and died alienated forever from the separate God of the Heavens. Jesus... Read more
This is, unabashedly, one of my cutest cartoons. Sometimes we need cute. Like bunnies. Happy faces. An anthropomorphic god. But there is a deeper message of union that is made manifest and tangible when we participate in it. Read more
Yesterday’s April Fool’s cartoon Rob Bell Marries David Hayward was a successful attempt to give people permission to laugh in the light of Easter. Today’s cartoon is an attempt to give people permission to cry. The shortest verse, and the most poignant in my opinion, is John 11: 35… Jesus wept. He lost a friend. His friends were upset and beside themselves. Death was staring them down. As the cartoon suggests, crying is healthy. Sorrow is necessary. Grieving is natural. You can’t... Read more
In a bold move over the weekend, theologian and writer Rob Bell marries cartoonist David Hayward, also known as the nakedpastor. Bell came out a few weeks ago in support of same sex marriage just after the publication of his latest book What We Talk About When We Talk About God. Friends and family surmise that this surprise wedding is Bell’s determination to stand behind his word. Bell has been heard to say, “I want to walk the talk!” No... Read more
The good news isn’t that we’ve got a job to do but that the job’s been done. The Easter story is about the breaking down of barriers. It reveals the fact that the dividing walls we build are fantasies and no longer stand. There is no longer in and out. Some like to believe the wall’s been moved and that the special people designation has simply shifted to another group, of which they belong, of course. No. All means all.... Read more
nakedpastor
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