Beginning today, Wednesday, March 23, 2016, the North Carolina government is going to be wasting $42,000 per day of tax payers’ money on fighting a boogey-monster. That’s right. In an attempt to fix a problem that isn’t actually a problem, the GOP-led legislature will be throwing away almost as much money EACH DAY as the average person in NC makes in a year. I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t actually sound very conservative. What’s worse is that the... Read more
Remember that old saying? “When you assume you make an ass out of you and me.” Clever, huh? Ok, not really clever, but it sure does hit the nail on the head. Actually, no, it doesn’t. Sure, assuming negative things about people without having any substantial facts to back it up can make you look like a real horse’s patoot, but frankly, it only makes an ass out of me if I let it. And, I don’t know about you,... Read more
Good and gracious God, Let there be peace on Earth and let it begin with me. Sadly, we seem to spend most of our time defining how others are not like us. Implicitly regulating them to something that is less respectable, less correct, less worthy, less acceptable than us. We create the divisions based on false standards that we have created for ourselves without seeing that we created the standards, in part, to reinforce the divisions… And the maddening circle... Read more
Donald Trump seems to have found “religion.” That is to say, it is notable that he has been a public personality for such a very long time and it wasn’t until well into his campaign to be the Republican presidential candidate that we ever heard him talking about religion. Even at that, he didn’t do Christian-speak very well. I’m sure we all remember his “Two Corinthians” flub. It’s a mistake that almost no elementary aged church-goer would make, more or... Read more
There is no greater love than when someone risks their own life for the sake of others. (John 15:13, my loose interpretation). When it comes to the LGBTQ community, most of the Church has a love problem. Even as the institution claims to be following the teachings of Jesus, who taught that love was the greatest commandment (so much so that it should be practiced even toward those we dislike), it has unceremoniously condemned a whole segment of society over... Read more
A message based on Isaiah 49:8-16. Naming God is difficult at best, divisive even in its mildest form, and can be thought of as sacrilegious at its worst. I was confronted squarely with this reality as I entered Divinity School. I can only begin to tell how excited was was to be accepted into Divinity School at Wake Forest. I had only applied to Princeton, Duke and Wake Forest and quite frankly had low hopes of being accepted into any of... Read more
We Progressive Christians pride ourselves on how open-minded we are and how our open minds naturally lead us to include lots of folks who don’t look like us. It’s a beautiful thing really. Those gathered around the progressive table have greatly diverse heritages, socio-economic backgrounds, and even education levels. For Progressive Christians, this is what we understand God wants for humanity: people of all shapes and colors gathering together in a great human rainbow of love and hope. But (and... Read more
Dear Fellow Progressive Christians, I have bad news. I’m really sorry about this; but, the prognosis came back and I’m afraid its terminal. Progressive Christianity is done for. Kaput. Finé. Bummer, right? Don’t take it out on me. I mean, I’m just the messenger. The good folks over at “Standing on my Head” (SOMH), on Patheos’ Catholic Channel, compiled all the difficult analysis, historical context, and sound critical thinking about Progressive Christianity’s demise. By “compiled” I mean, hobbled together via... Read more
Good and gracious God, Awaken us. May this new year be the year we see violence, oppression, hatred, hoarding, power, and privilege with eyes wide open. Even as we’ve made progress in the year that has passed, assuring more equality for some, and enlivening a sense of righteous resistance against the abuse of power in others, we have continued to live in an all too routine awareness of the places in this world where people needlessly suffer and are abused.... Read more
Good and gracious God, It is never easy to wait… that may be why Advent is so hard for us. But Loving God, it is not so hard for you. You wait for us to turn from our old ways toward the life you desire for us. You wait for us to admit what we have done, and what we have failed to do, so we might be freed toward the life you know we can have here on Earth.... Read more
The God Article with Mark Sandlin
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