The Thoughtful Pastor - A pastor ponders life, death, hope, despair, theology and the nature of God

The Mean Girl Manifesto: The UMC Traditionalist Plan

November 12, 2018 By Christy Thomas

The Traditionalist Plan is a classic mean girl manifesto. “If you don’t follow MY rules, I will kick you out of the group. Nyah, Nyah, Nyah.” Any rational group of delegates, assuming they are mature adults, seasoned with grace, and aware of their foibles, would laugh this plan out of the room. But I bet it wins. OK, this post is probably only going to make sense to those who have been following the slowly sinking ship of The United… Read more

The Fight Between Tame and Good: The Coming UMC Schism

November 6, 2018 By Christy Thomas

5 Comments

The WCA schism will lead to a tame denomination–safe and clean and neatly heterosexual, although I continue to worry about the sexual issues of the children and grandchildren of those who have founded this movement. Ultimately, however, it won’t be good. The cat is finally out of the bag–a group of “We know we are right and anyone who disagrees with us is wrong” “united” Methodists are actively planning for schism if things don’t go their way at GC2019. It fascinated… Read more

Definition of A Dysfunctional Organization: The United Methodist Church

November 4, 2018 By Christy Thomas

4 Comments

We think by operating as a dysfunctional, sick, non-trusting organization, we can turn The United Methodist Church into a functional, life-giving place of hope. Delegates, lacking trust in one another, will make vital decisions on little sleep and a diet of caffeine and sugar. Then we’ll wonder why things went so badly. “Eight hundred and sixty-four people will sit on the committee.” When I told my husband, an experienced business owner and currently board chair for two public companies, about the… Read more

After Pittsburgh, I Can No Longer Wear A Cross

October 31, 2018 By Christy Thomas

445 Comments

No longer will I wear the cross. I will stop identifying with this kind of Christianity. It’s one small step to saying to these dear Jewish people, “I am so sorry. My tears are mingling with yours. This is wrong.” My husband gave me this lovely cross a couple of years ago. It’s one of many beautiful ones I own and have worn over the years. But I can no longer wear any of them. I can no longer identify… Read more

Vote Blue: I Chose That Even Against My Self-Interest

October 24, 2018 By Christy Thomas

42 Comments

I am voting Blue for one final reason: I am a person of faith who also knows that a political party that claims God has their back carries so much danger to the larger good that people of real faith must, absolutely must, fight back. Saturday, I went to the polls. For the first time in my life, I voted a straight ticket: Democratic Blue. Economically, my decision hurts me. In our particular business and general financial situation, we are… Read more

Greed, Indigenous People, Saudi Arabia, And The Church

October 19, 2018 By Christy Thomas

5 Comments

The stench of greed permeates every church or religious organization that ventures into the world of politics. Any witness for the Gospel sinks into the cesspool of backstabbing and power grabs. Every single time. In my morning perusal of the New York Times, I found myself drawn to an article I would have usually overlooked, but we are planning on a trip into the Amazon River soon and so am naturally curious about the country. At it turns out, the… Read more

The Cover-Up And The Faux Apology

October 17, 2018 By Christy Thomas

2 Comments

Surely you have heard a faux apology something like this: “I’m sorry if you were offended by [what ever it is that I did that should certainly not have upset you], deflecting all the blame onto someone else? Or perhaps an apology something like this: “I’m sorry you got hurt but if you hadn’t [provoked me, started it, tempted me, not responded the way I wanted you to respond, questioned my authority, etc.], then I would not have had to… Read more

Why I Write Now After Choosing Silence Most Of My Life

October 8, 2018 By Christy Thomas

96 Comments

I write for the thousands of “It happened to me as well, but I knew they’d never believe me” stories that were posted all over social media in the last couple of weeks. Even more, I write for the “It happened to me, I told someone, and they didn’t believe me” stories that broke my heart over and over and over again. I have been writing this blog for over ten years now and many of these posts have appeared… Read more

Brett Kavanaugh’s Trashed Life: Who Did The Damage?

October 1, 2018 By Christy Thomas

36 Comments

So, to get back to Brett Kavanaugh’s trashed life: if it does go down in flames, it is not because the good people of the US want that to happen. It will happen because he refused to answer questions and refuses to acknowledge that he did, at one point in his life, have a severe drinking problem. In the Monday, October 1, 2018 edition of the Wall Street Journal, Alan Dershowitz, a self-described liberal, Democrat, and Professor Emeritus at Harvard Law… Read more

What Is Honorable About Your Honor Brett Kavanaugh?

September 24, 2018 By Christy Thomas

315 Comments

So, I predict that, no, Brett Kavanaugh will not be sacrificed. I predict that women will yet again be slut-shamed, silenced, and slammed against the wall to be left to bleed out, not yet seeing our hopes for justice to prevail. OK, according to those who support The Honorable Judge Brett Kavanaugh, he has had a stellar legal career and his personal life is above reproach. Well, maybe not the last part of that, but still . . . he… Read more