“We stand on the shoulders of giants” – Jack Spong was one of my giants. The late Bishop Spong was a tremendous influence on my life as a pastor and theologian. I first learned of him upon reading his book “Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism” while I attended the Iliff School of Theology in the early 1990s. I recall being notably struck by his obvious scholarly competence, his persuasive argumentation, and his clear passion for the well-being of Christianity and... Read more
Sometimes we see posts on social media that begin with someone soliciting “Unpopular Views You Hold that Many Others Don’t” as conversation starters. People respond to such posts by saying things like: “I like light beer.” “I think curling is a proper Olympic sport.” “Young people who are graduating from high school would do well to consider not going to college and instead learn a trade to begin their careers.” “I’m a vegan chiropractor who recommends that people get the... Read more
Have you ever messed up? Have you ever screwed things up real bad? ..Yeah, we all have. It’s part of the human condition. We’re always fouling things up. We’re ever screwing up. It’s a given. It’s an ever-given. We screw up relationships. We sabotage careers. We get caught up in all sorts of dysfunctional addictions and behaviors. We estrange ourselves from friends and loved ones. We’re screw ups. But have you ever screwed up so bad that satellites can see... Read more
I’m hurting today. I’m a Christian living in the United States. There are many Americans who think of that as being a natural fit and that this should be the expected default – they wish that all Americans were Christians. As a progressive Christian, I don’t think that everyone needs to be or should be a Christian, and I think that those who claim to be Christians should in fact be Christians. A common technique of conservative evangelical street preachers... Read more
Newsweek recently published an article reporting that “52 Percent of Americans Say Jesus Isn’t God but Was a Great Teacher.” The article was based upon an article in The Christian Post which had the title “A Majority Of Americans Think Jesus Is A Great Teacher Yet Reject His Claims To Be God.” I have several responses. First of all, Jesus never claimed to be God. No where in the scriptures does Jesus claim to be God – nor did he... Read more
These words are written in the aftermath of the shootings that took place at the protest in Kenosha, WI on August 25, 2020. It’s a bit more of a rant in tone than is my custom – but I feel this approach is appropriate for such a time. I write to fellow white citizens in the United States. 1. Attention: White Black Bloc Anarchists (who mislead themselves and others by calling themselves “ANTIFA”) – White people have NO BUSINESS driving... Read more
A collage of musings that I posted on my Facebook page over the past 2 weeks. These particular ones belong together: For those who are wondering “Where is God in this pandemic?” God is in the physicians and healthcare workers who are pouring out everything they’ve got to save as many of us as possible. God is in the truck drivers and grocery store staff and pharmacy personnel who are making sure we have the essentials that we need during... Read more
“Children! You’re gonna die! That’s right. You’re gonna die! You don’t think you’re gonna die! You can’t imagine dyin’ right now, but one of these days, they’re gonna take you out to the cemetery, drop you in a hole, throw dirt in your face, and go back to the church and eat potato salad!” Christian scholar Tony Campolo shares about a long-time tradition on at Mt. Carmel Baptist Church, an African-American congregation in West Philadelphia. Every year, the high school... Read more
“Everything was beautiful and nothing hurt.” The words are from Kurt Vonnegut, the art is that of a tagger on a hidden wall in Boulder, the city I used to live in. It aptly conveys the anxious end of an idyllic – though illusory – season in the lives of the white elite, including mine. This photo I took of it fits what I’m about to say. We in the West are facing something unlike most any of us under... Read more
No longer can I fake it No longer can I pretend No longer can I fool myself and others that when I say “God” I mean what they think I’m supposed to mean. No longer can I talk about a god six steps removed, as if God were the A-Team of attorneys, advertisers, and agents who write the contracts, book the guests, and place the products on Megatainment Tonight, where tinsel toothed theological celebrities talk about the forced formulas and... Read more
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