Even worse, this theology of God’s absolute sovereignty and control leads to the elevation of those who, for example, may have acquired great wealth. Surely they could have only done that because God “blessed” them. Dear Thoughtful Pastor: A few minutes ago I was sitting on the back porch, looking at the new growth on the oak tree, all the small fallen limbs from the storm a few nights ago and wondered about the “Why Me” part of any setback,... Read more
We could do this–we could reach across the aisles, across the abortion rhetoric and say, “ALL life has value” as well as “Some situations are tragic and need special consideration.” Dear Thoughtful Pastor: For a long time, I have been bothered by the seemingly unshakable fidelity of Christian voters to the single issue of abortion. It seems to me that progressives need to find other ways to talk about abortion. I know many persons who would vote for a more... Read more
Silence stops in its tracks the lies that good humans won’t suffer. It strips away any surety that our right actions and beliefs will bring the results we want. I spent my formative Christian years in Evangelicalism. This world hands out books of God’s promises: Bible verses, yanked from context, that suggest God is in the business of answering prayers and meeting my “needs” and desires. This world swims in proof-texts and contentions that God always answer prayers. Although to get... Read more
We who call ourselves followers of Jesus carry the expectations that we will also heal, bring good news to the poor, offer release to the captives, give recovery of sight to the blind, and free the oppressed. Dear Thoughtful Pastor: Last week, a Bible literalist church pastor was arrested in the death of his 2-year-old grandchild. The parents, members of the church, refused any medical intervention and she died of pneumonia. Antibiotics would have easily cured her. Why refuse... Read more
“Our president is a liar, and we need to find out how serious his latest lies are.” ~David Leonhardt, NYT I’m old enough to remember well when Richard Nixon went down. At that point, I thought all Democrats were of the devil and was sure God was on Nixon’s side and that Nixon would prove to be right. I was wrong. He resigned, rightly, in deep disgrace. I’m old enough to remember Bill Clinton’s lies about his sexual activities. I... Read more
I’ve read most of it. All the analyses about the AHCA (“Trumpcare” or “Ryancare”), the proposed GOP replacement for the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) have taken residence in my brain. I’ve also logged countless hours in conversation with an expert in the insurance world. So now I now offer a quick, admittedly simplistic summary for the non-insurance professional, coupled with suggestions for the church’s response. Insurance company basics Insurance companies, health, life, auto, home, etc., are for-profit entities. In our... Read more
Yes, we are expected to forgive endless times. Cultivating the habit of forgiveness makes life with others possible. But forgiveness is not necessarily linked to friendship or reconciliation. Dear Thoughtful Pastor: I recently ended a friendship that had, in my opinion, become toxic and harmful to my emotional well-being. I have no doubt, whatsoever, that this was the right move and even necessary for my mental wellness, but ever since I cut off contact with my former friend, I’ve been... Read more
When I speak a “truth” that makes me look better and others look worse, the chances are 100% that I’m way off base from God-truth. Dear Thoughtful Pastor: The last election cycle and the first 100 days of the Trump administration have lead me to this question. The commandment, “Thou shall not bear false witness,” seems fairly straightforward. For most of us that means to try your best to tell the truth and don’t choose your words to purposely mislead,... Read more
That the love of God means the freedom for people to make their unimpeded choices for good or evil permeates The Shack. [Note: The Shack, based on the book by William P Young, is about to be released. The book caused enormous controversy among many Christians when it first came out. An editor, Chris Fenoglio, from UMC.com recently asked me and several other clergy some questions about the movie/book. You may find the article here. I am posting my full answers... Read more
Option: Confront your parents and insist they change their behavior so you feel better. Dictate precisely what you need. This has a success rate of something approaching zero. Dear Thoughtful Pastor: My parents are complicated and volatile. They have been that way since I was a child and have a very dysfunctional marriage. I love them both but I don’t feel 100% secure with them. My daughter was exposed to them being awful to each other on Sunday and it really... Read more
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