“Couldn’t find any precedent for that in the Bible, but we’re gonna go with it.” Christians… we are such a weird people. Thankfully we have folks like Tripp & Tyler who continue to poke at Christian sub-culture & teach us how to laugh at ourselves (and hopefully change & grow). Happy Friday everyone. Read more
I’m reading Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States at the moment, so I’m a a bit sensitized to what is said by the “experts.” But even if I wasn’t, Neil deGrasse Tyson would still bother me. I was excited about the new Cosmos broadcast, optimistically setting our DVR to tape every episode. But after the first one, I hit cancel, mostly because of the ridiculous scientific positivism of Tyson, and the historical/philosophical butchery of the story of Giordano Bruno... Read more
I’m off the lectionary path for a quick 2 week series on the Temple. So, I wanted to post this sermon from Easter 4A that I did three years ago when were last in Year A. If you are a pastor please feel free to copy and steal everything below. Easter 4A – John 10:1-18 The Good Shepherd I love first lines of books. Somewhere along the way in my education a teacher pointed out to me that first lines... Read more
Do a Google Image search for the phrase “No Limits” and see how many of the hits are from churches promoting a sermon series by that title. That’ll tell you how far off the church is on one of the most important problems plaguing our contemporary culture. It seems as though we’ve reached a tipping point in American society, and most people are at least somewhat aware/accepting of the reality that much of the world’s poverty is systemic. Most of... Read more
I confess that I just finished season one of The Vikings, and started in on the second season last night. I confess that the Season 2 premier was a bit disappointing. They jumped so far ahead in the story that I felt a little bit lost, like I had missed a few episodes or they jumped over a big part of the story. They sure didn’t waste any time introducing the obstacles for the season, I’m just not sure I... Read more
Every subculture is strange, but evangelical subculture is stranger. There are these highly defended idiosyncratic cultural markers influenced by a small number of Christian entertainers, megachurch pastors, authors, and celebrities. It’s a language. And when somebody who really understands the subculture and speak the language starts to lampoon it, I can never resist. So meet ChristianTingle.com – where you can’t hold hands until you are married… a little Friday Funny. Happy Friday everyone. Read more
This has to be one of the more unlikely conversations I’ve ever heard between to men I have come to view quite differently over the years. I grew up a Southern Baptist in the midst of a sweet little church in Kansas whose practices far exceeded their own theology. So Al Mohler–as the author and protector of much of the theology I came to see as dubious–represents a way of thinking about God that I’ve intentionally tried to grow beyond,... Read more
“People have been looking for Jesus for a long time, but never quite like this.” – N.T. Wright, “Five Gospels but No Gospel” I’ve heard many descriptions of the historical Jesus over the years. Garrett Glass’ Jesus seems as unfamiliar to me as any. Billed as a work of historical fiction, the self-published Jehoshua: Signs and Wonders is heavy on the fiction… not so much on the history, though. I’ve been reading this book for a few weeks now, off and... Read more
It least 4.1% of death row inmates are innocent of the crime for which they are sentenced to die. That fact alone should be enough to stop capital punishment for good. Couple that with the reality that states without the death penalty consistently have lower murder rates, and you’ve got a solid argument against. Add the evidence that retribution does nothing to help the grief and loss of victim’s families–in fact it involves them in a 10-12 year legal battle... Read more
It’s pouring down rain in Kansas City, so here’s a little rainy day repost from a little over a year ago. The post was developed from questions I have gotten over the years from parents in my church who are trying their best to pass along their faith to their children. They don’t want to screw this up. Often the questions come as parents realize the ways in which their faith was passed on to them by their parents were... Read more
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