Yes, I am an idealist, and think we need to stop fighting one another except in cases to stop outright aggression. War . . . the thought makes me ill, but the world has been at war since Cain killed Abel. Jealousy is the usual cause: someone has more than me. In the first instance, Abel had more of God than Cain. Today, some nation has more (people, resources, power, influence, etc.) than another, so instead of working things out... Read more
Please note: from this point forward, I intend to refer to the POTUS as Bannon/Trump. This nomenclature reflects the reality that it is white supremacist Steve Bannon that calls most of the shots right now and acts as de-facto president. Here is an excellent analysis of the rise of President The following article explains another lawsuit that has been filed against the immigration ban. The chaos that election of Bannon/Trump has brought about, not to mention the heartbreak. Keep in... Read more
Should the government move to restrict egress based on nothing but “what might happen,” especially refugees seeking asylum are fleeing home-grown wars, then there is only one proper Christian response: “Bring them to me. I will care for them.” Dear Thoughtful Pastor: “Is there a better, more Christian way to minimize terrorism threats in the long run from immigrants coming to the U.S. from Muslim majority nations than to ban them outright until extreme vetting is completed?” Let me start... Read more
The vote supports Pastor Paul, but it doesn’t take long for Pastor Joshua’s new church, affirming the reality of hell, to drain the mother congregation. I saw The Christians on Sunday. Lucas Hnath wrote this play about Pastor Paul, a man who had skillfully grown his church from a tiny storefront to a huge megachurch, complete with coffee shops and bookstore. Suddenly, he announces to his congregation that his core theology has changed. He no longer carries as assurance that... Read more
All of us live in the tensions between creation and re-creation. Nothing is stasis or particularly stable or immune from breaking. Last night, the dishwasher broke. (The repair service showed up promptly, fixed the problem but indicated that the fix is only temporary–we will be needing to replace it soon). Before that: The new coffee grinder quit working (replaced with excellent customer service by DeLonghi) The new and barely used vacuum cleaner quit working (replaced with excellent customer service by Bissell)... Read more
The easy answers like “It’ll all turn out OK in the end. If it is not OK, it’s not the end” nearly make me sick to my stomach. What does that say to those who are suffering horrifically in this very moment? Dear Thoughtful Pastor: One of my lectures was on innocent suffering and how that can occur in a world “governed” by an omniscient, omnipresent and all-good God. I covered about 30 answers, none of which appeared to be... Read more
My name is Christy. And I did march. That other “Christy” gets to stay home because countless other “Christy’s” have been speaking up for women for centuries. Apparently, a woman named “Christy” posted on Facebook her reasons for not participating or supporting one of the Women’s Marches on January 21. The full text of her explanation is at the bottom of this post. But the essence is stated well in her first paragraph: I am not a “disgrace to women”... Read more
What truly matters is not which party controls our government, but whether our government is controlled by the people. January 20th 2017, will be remembered as the day the people became the rulers of this nation again. The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer. Everyone is listening to you now. ~DJT inaugural speech, Jan. 20, 2017 We took him seriously. We spoke. Millions and millions of us. Probably not the people DJT had in... Read more
The theological/anointing/savior themes and subtext leaped from the radio to my ears. “I didn’t watch it. I’m still in disbelief about it all. Having a hard time accepting this.” So my hostess said after I arrived in Austin in preparation for the Women’s March on January 21. I didn’t watch either, but I listened. I listened to the entire thing as I drove from Dallas. Before I left, I noticed that a person on social media has indicated that today... Read more
Can a man whose world revolves primarily, or even only, around himself and his need to be powerful make a decent and responsible President for the whole of the US? Friday, January 20, I head to Austin. I’ve explained the reasons why I chose to march there more fully here. I will be on the road at the time of the actual transfer of power from Obama to Trump. I know many are choosing to boycott the inauguration, either by... Read more
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