This is a series of the ongoing saga of two people with radically different political views. Part one is here. Part two is here. For reasons of family peace and my mental health, we are not actually watching the Convention, but learn about what happened the next day. Things got a little heated this morning after we read about the Ted Cruz’ “betrayal” at the RNC last night. The “anyone but Hillary” party is enraged that various Republican leaders, especially the... Read more
Dear Thoughtful Pastor: I have been reading both sides of the argument and praying about it and I’m just a little stumped. Is cremation frowned up? The opposed side says it’s a desecration of God’s gift to us. We are God’s property and he should choose that. But I don’t see any specific evidence in the Bible that says do not cremate. God is all powerful and the fact that our bodies are dust which at some point they become... Read more
Well, the UMC just consecrated its first lesbian Bishop–that one even made the New York Times! What, of course, also made the national news is the Trump/Pence ticket (which shall probably always be known to those who dislike Trump as the Toilet Paper ticket). And now we have even more policemen ambushed and ruthlessly murdered, leaving many wondering, “are we REALLY falling apart?” Expected responses: “This has to stop.” “We need more law and order.” “We need to obey the Book... Read more
Part one of the saga of two people with radically different political views can be found here. We are not talking much about politics these days. I look at the stuff slanted my way; he looks at the stuff slanted his way. But we’ve both got problems. Personally, I am horrified by what I have seen of the proposed Republican platform. As the NY Times puts it, the platform “amounts to a rightward lurch even from the party’s hard-line platform in... Read more
Dear Thoughtful Pastor: I love my parents very, very much. But I wish my dad would quit being so racist in front of my nieces. How do I tell them that what he is saying is junk without making them lose respect for him? It is not your job to ensure that your nieces maintain respect for your father. That respect, or lack of it, is between them and your father. However, it is your job to offer a different... Read more
Calls for prayer pop up immediately. Everybody’s “thoughts and prayers” are posted in public places. Churches open with prayer services advertised. Religious leaders offer statements to be read in worship. Legislative bodies routinely practice their mandatory moment of silence. Citizens gather in civic spaces for ecumenical prayer. During Sunday worship, many if not most churches will mention the latest shooting/terrorist/police-related tragedy in their times of prayer. And then what? Most who have prayed, or who mentioned “thoughts and prayers” will just... Read more
We’d had the most joyful of afternoons. After two interminable weeks in a non-weight bearing foot situation, my husband’s bandage was replaced with a walking cast. Delighted, we went to out to dinner and watched a funny movie before bed. We retired without bothering to check the news. Able to stay in bed lazily for the first time in a while, I slowly awoke and reached for my phone to check morning messages. Then I saw it, the horrors of... Read more
Dear Thoughtful Pastor: A lot of Christians insist that the best way for a homosexual to be reformed and “made whole” is in heterosexual marriage. Do you think any of these Christians would volunteer their heterosexual child (or grandchild) to live in a marriage to a gay person? Even knowing their beloved grandchild or child might never be loved the way they crave and deserve to be loved? And do you think God would be blessed by this kind of... Read more
I knew he was a Republican when I married him. Our disparate views on politics peppered our first date–and I laughingly said, “OK, that’s a deal-breaker!” But there was far more to him than his politics. He saw far more in me than mine. Mutual respect and enormous admiration for each other permeated our relationship from its earliest hours. We married in the fall of 2015, he, a widower, me divorced, both having had our share of pain and anguish.... Read more
Dear Thoughtful Pastor: What does it mean that Donald Trump has accepted Jesus into his heart? Has Hillary Clinton accepted Jesus into her heart? Thank you for your reply. Let me state this clearly: I am not able to enter into the minds/hearts/souls of anyone, including the two candidates for the highest office of the land. However, your question touches what has been all over the religious news this past week: a statement by religious leader James Dobson that Trump... Read more
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