Rag Doll Wisdom Luke 2:1-41 There are people among us who have wisdom that we don’t know, accept, or embrace. They don’t reside in the halls of Congress, or on Wall Street, or work at the Chicago Board of Trade. They are not famous, rich, or even important. They are virtually unknown, the kind of people easily ignored. In our world where everybody tries so hard to be somebody, these wisdom carriers are nobody. So, when the first Christmas happened,... Read more

In Honor of Pondering Lives   Everyone has seen at least a depiction of The Thinker – a bronze sculpture by Auguste Rodin. The work depicts a nude male figure of heroic size sitting on a rock. He is seen leaning over, his right elbow placed on his left thigh, holding the weight of his chin on the back of his right hand. The pose is one of deep thought and contemplation, and the statue is often used as an image to represent philosophy.... Read more

Dark and Dangerous Words Hurt Us All The preachers and politicians who proclaim gloom and doom, darkness and fear and anger are bringing about darkness, fear, and anger. They call it into existence first with words and the dark words become dark attitudes, dark deeds, dark moments. Words are seeds planted in fertile minds. If we sow seeds of doubt, dissension, anger, fear, violence, we will harvest a full crop, not of words, but of actions. The words are the... Read more

An Old White Man Preacher Has a Word for Women Preachers Luke 1:25 – 56 (A Southern Baptist friend once asked me, “Do you believe in women preachers?” I responded, “Believe in them? I have seen and heard women preachers and I declare to you they are the gifts of God for the people of God.”) Let’s talk about Mary, the mother of Jesus. There’s some biblical background material claiming our initial attention. At the outset, Mary enters the scene... Read more

Prelude to a Sermon Pre-Introduction: This is an appeal for more attention given in worship to the best biblical and theological scholars of the Church. I take the Bible seriously but not literally. I am not a disciple of American fundamentalism, television preachers, or the prosperity gospel. I believe Young Earth Creationism is a misguided ideology. I believe the rapture is a false doctrine. I believe that progressive preachers should be bold, passionate, and deeply emotional in proclaiming what they... Read more

Jesus Coming on the Clouds or Our Heads in the Clouds? The theory of the rapture still mesmerizes the evangelical community in the USA. Nothing turns on an evangelical like visions of Jesus riding the clouds to help the true believers escape an awful world. When we hear the word “cloud,” we think I-Cloud storage; evangelicals think Jesus is coming soon. Anglican New Testament scholar N. T. Wright notes that the “American obsession with the second coming of Jesus continues... Read more

What’s The Apocalyptic Doing in Advent? The Gospel reading, Mark 13:24 – 37 belongs to the genre of apocalyptic language. What were our lectionary editors thinking? Apocalyptic language on the first day of the new church year seems a bit overdramatic. Who wants a “darkened sun” for Advent? Wouldn’t we rather ease into Advent? Even in church we have come to expect comfort and convenience. My grandaddy was a Baptist preacher and he said the church went downhill when they... Read more

Why the Descendants of Racist Segregationists Still Attempt to Oppress Voting Rights Florida, Alabama, and Louisiana are callously ignoring the rulings of U. S. Federal courts, including the Supreme Court, ordering them to create a legislative map that gives African American voters a greater chance of having a second majority representation district. repeating the sins of the era of segregation. They are spitting on the Voting Act and the Civil Rights Act as Florida has an ongoing trial. The Supreme... Read more

Evangelicals have managed to feint, dodge, even incorporate criticism as badges of honor. When they were labeled “The Deplorables,” they marketed the slur as a badge of honor and marketed t-shirts, mugs, and bumper stickers proudly declaring how sweet it was to be deplorable. Now, they face a judgement that comes with the fierceness of the four horses of the apocalypse. They face the judgment that always befalls idolaters from the Israelites frolicking before the golden calf, their ancestors placing... Read more

  When a member of Congress steps out of line, goes against the will of the party, the punishment for such action is known as “being primaried.” The current holder of a political office must face a member of his own party in the preliminary election known as the primary. This candidate is more aligned to the right wing of the party. The threat of “being primaried” looms large in Republican circles. For instance, Newt Gingrich has slammed the eight Republicans who... Read more