“Remember you are but dust and to dust you shall return.” With these words, The Rev’d Canon H.W. Herrmann, Rector of St. David of Wales Episcopal Church in Denton, marked the foreheads of approximately 30 early morning worshipers on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2015. The familiar words of the readings and prayers swirled around me. I read the collect of the day, “Almighty and everlasting God, who hatest nothing that thou hast made, and dost forgive the sins of all... Read more
When the theology says, “You are a totally depraved human being. Nothing good can happen to you unless the sovereign God decides to grant you a blessing,” then those who are “blessed” find perfect justification to believe that the poor and disadvantaged deserve what they get. When the theology says, “Men, you and you only are the ones who are worthy of leadership,” that religious environment becomes the perfect place for upwardly mobile (or hopefully upwardly mobile) younger man to... Read more
[Note: this article originally ran in the Friday, Feb 13, 2015 print and online editions of the Denton Record-Chronicle. Commentary on the seduction of young men and the death of compassion caused by the theology taught at this church can be found at this link.] The Village Church, Denton website warns people to arrive at least 30 minutes early for services that fill quickly–and they will turn people away if necessary. Such words served as a major incentive to arise early... Read more
Rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief; Pastor, priest, newsman, chief . . . all have this in common: each has the capacity to betray trust in profoundly public and private self-destructive ways. This brouhaha over Brian Williams and his fall from grace (this link will take you to Jon Stewart’s funny–and a tiny bit off-color–take on the situation) has become the current example of public betrayal. Yet, Williams has only followed the pattern set from the earliest time to... Read more
The Pontifical Council for Culture in Rome, presided over by Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi and made up of cardinals and bishops who are all men, are discussing “Women’s Cultures: Equality and Difference” from February 4-7, 2015 in mostly closed-door sessions. There are enough contradictions in that sentence to end my analysis right here. By all means, read the rest of this excellent analysis of this group of old, skirted and out of touch men meeting in a restaurant that features art of naked... Read more
“Around the globe, managing menstruation can be a debilitating, even deadly, problem – fueled by a combination of poverty, misinformation, stigma and superstition. One in ten girls in Africa misses school for the duration of her period each month. In Bangladesh, infections caused from filthy, contaminated rags are rampant. Menstrual hygiene has been linked to high rates of cervical cancer in India.” A friend sent me the link to the article containing that quote, and asks, “Does the Bible like... Read more
I think the megachurch movement has created a clearly unintentional but serious infection which may lead to the eventual death of Christian connection, AKA the church. Let me explain. After noting a “meh” response to the last church I visited in the Mystery Worship adventure, I thought I’d better analyze what happened because the worship itself was quite well done. A varying team accompanies me on these mystery worship visits. Age range: pre-teen to the geriatric, and have differing religious backgrounds.... Read more
We don’t want to talk about sin. We don’t want to say that someone or something else has authority over what we think and believe. We live steeped in a culture that denies any absolutism in truth and celebrates an “anything goes” morality. But current fashions do not stop an unvarnished and clear presentation of such concepts at St. Paul Lutheran (Missouri Synod) Church. This small church is tucked almost invisibly among commercial structures just north of downtown Denton on... Read more
I just heard that another parent in the privileged enclave known as Highland Park, a small, rich area in Dallas, TX, has objected to one of her little innocents reading David Shipler’s excellent book, The Working Poor. According to the KERA report, the mother in question said, “the book was Marxist and socialist. ‘It’s almost as if they want the children to apologize if they aren’t the working poor, or if they have capitalist ideals.'” Good heavens! Expose one’s children... Read more
OK, churches: here’s the rule: If you are going to change normal worship times for any reason, make it clear on your website that you are doing so. Or better, don’t change them. Not if you want to welcome the stranger in into your place of worship. Twice now in this worship adventure, I have discovered that the church either was not meeting at all or that worship time had been changed for a particular day. Last fall, when I... Read more
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