For years, it was always the same. Around 8:45 in the morning, we’d pile in the station wagon and head over to church, greeted there by a couple high school students dressed as pilgrims and playing snare drums. Inside, our Congregationalist Meetinghouse was attended to by more pilgrims and a cadre of severe looking clergy in stark, black gowns. That over with, we’d be on the road again by 10:15, driving west southwest from the Cities. Within fifteen minutes the... Read more
Rev Dave writes, “Keep rocking the quadrilateral” Ha! +1 tripp! As a transplanted Methodist, I had a similar thought (and we were just this week teaching the quad to our Confirmation class). Though I wasn’t brought up in that tradition, it seems to me that the quadrilateral is the most honest depiction of how we determine our beliefs. The four exist in tension, and all are needed. As much as some would like to believe otherwise, it is just not... Read more
There’s a new hashtag in the Twitterverse that’s attracting a lot of attention. It’s called “Twitter of Faith,” the hashtag is #TOF, and the idea is that Tweeters would write out what they believe in 140 characters or less. If Twitter isn’t on your radar yet, it’s a medium of micro-blogging that’s restricted to 140 characters per post (a.k.a., “Tweet). Although I’m generally against statements of faith, I really appreciate the beauty and simplicity of TOF. It’s a bit like... Read more
I’m adding another one today since I found what BudCath had to say interesting: Thanks for your comments. I would love for America to be guided by golden rule, but it is not and never has been. Indians, slavery, jim crow, terrible injustice toward our fellow human beings. But we can be better. I do not support abortion, captial punishment, homosexuality or gay marriage personally. That is a religious and moral stance. But, I know gay people and they are... Read more
Sean gets right to the point — a point that Rod and I will explore much more in coming weeks. Nine biblical citations are customarily invoked as relating to homosexuality. Four (Deuteronomy 23:17, 1 Kings 14:24, I Kings 22:46 and II Kings 23:7) simply forbid prostitution by men and women. Two others (Leviticus 18:19-23 and Leviticus 20:10-16) are part of what biblical scholars call the Holiness Code. The code explicitly bans homosexual acts. But it also prohibits eating raw meat,... Read more
I’m going to start a new feature here at The New Christians. Every day — well, almost every day — I’ll post what I consider to be a thoughtful comment that truly adds to the conversation, or a witty comment, or something that strikes my fancy. Today’s comment o’ the day comes from Jimil: For our constitutional scholar, there is no right of sodomy, nor is there a right to sit at a lunch counter, nor is there a right... Read more
Rod, thanks for your last post; actually I agree with you: our government does legislate morality. In fact, that’s why I think that it’s imperative that we seriously consider the moral implications of denying same sex couples the right to marry. In doing so, we are missing an opportunity to decrease STDs, HIV, and promiscuity in general, not to mention stabilizing the home life of the many same sex couples who are already adopting and birthing children. So, I guess... Read more
As we begin the week, here’s a round-up of the blogalogue entries so far: Tony’s Pre-Blogalogue Posts: Taking the Offline Online It’s Not about Me The Limits of Blogging Is It Inevitable? Emotions The Blogalogue Proper Tony: How I Went from There to Here Rod: Tony and Rod Discuss SSM Tony: Tony and Rod Discuss the Issue Tony: A Lighter Moment Tony: The Government’s Business Read more
I am sorry to report that Stephen Baldwin is staying in the United States. Baldwin, a B-list celebrity and convert to conservative evangelicalism, had declared to Fox News that if Barack Obama won the presidency, he would move out of the country. We should have known that was too good to be true. He now says he was kidding. He still hasn’t elucidated further on the revelation that God gave him during the campaign that Obama is the antichrist… Read more
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