When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him… (Lk 24:30) I grew up a Methodist and when I felt called to ordained life, I inevitably started out as a Methodist. But six years in England and worshiping with Anglicans left me with a spiritual life squarely focused on receiving communion on a weekly basis. So, imagine my surprise... Read more
“I believe in the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.” (Nicene Creed) I cannot argue that I have suffered more loss than others. Yes, I have lost both of my parents, my brother, and some of my closest friends. I have been through unemployment – twice – and I have spent my fair share of time in the hospital. Enough of those trips involved broken bones that my brother, who was an orthopedic surgeon, once described me... Read more
Photo by Josh Applegate on Unsplash “We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.” (Nicene Creed) When I was still a Methodist, I served a small church in rural, northeastern Ohio. One of my colleagues was a pastor who served a nearby church and appealing to the practice of the Methodist church she had an adult, male parishioner who asked to be immersed. She found a place to do that but as the day for the baptism drew... Read more
Photo by Shawn Pang on Unsplash On social media there are those who suggest that we replace foot washing with some other practice, maybe hand washing. The reason offered is that people are weirded out by foot washing or are unwilling to participate. But suggestions of this kind fail to grasp the logic of the ritual. By design, worship, sacred space, and liturgy – in all its forms – draws us into a liminal space and challenges our sensibilities. It... Read more
In a recent article, Anglican theologian, Ben Crosby says something I’ve said elsewhere about the decline of Mainline Protestantism. But – usefully – he does it by focusing on the answers to two critical questions. 1. Do we think that a relationship with Jesus is necessary to achieve certain goods (traditionally, salvation)? If the ‘relationship’ language concerns you, feel free to substitute ‘connected with’, ‘joined to’, or what have you. 2. Do we think that the church is... Read more
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. (The Nicene Creed) Why does the church waste its time worshiping and glorifying God? Let’s face it. Lurking just under the surface, even among people who go to church on a regular basis, that’s the question. It’s reflected in the habits of the average American: In 2019, 34% of Americans attended a religious service at least once or twice a month. That fell to 31% in 2020 and 28%... Read more
Participating in social media, one of the things that has struck me is how often we are forced to share that we have lost our four-legged friends. Over four years ago Hilda, our Gordon Setter became desperately ill, almost instantly after we moved to Tennessee. She stopped eating and, at first, we thought that she was disoriented or sulking. After all, we were staying in a hotel while we settled on a new home, and we were disoriented, too. A... Read more
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, And his kingdom will have no end. There we have it. Christ is judge. And with that bit of information, there are countless people both inside and outside of the church who walk away. Why insist that Christ is judge? And why – of all things – feature it in a Creed that occupies so few lines? Doesn’t this just prove that Christianity is for judgmental and... Read more
Ash Wednesday, like other days in the Christian calendar, is designed to encourage spiritual reflection. After 6 days, Genesis describes God as having sanctified time, not a place. And the liturgical calendar builds on the significance of that act, reminding us all of God’s saving acts and our dependence upon them. But in a culture that is easily bored and longs endlessly for relevance, the nature and purpose of Ash Wednesday is easily lost. So, over the years, we have... Read more
Much of the negative commentary on the revival at Asbury University is wide of the mark. In part, because the critics mistrust the conviction that God can intervene in people’s lives. In part, because they can see nothing but manipulation as the engine of such behavior, and in part, because they rely on Reformed and fundamentalist notions of revival. Revival in the Wesleyan context is very different, both in terms of its history and its theological assumptions. At its best,... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In