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Teach us to care and not to care
Like many cities, Asheville, North Carolina, has a “Before I Die . . .” wall—a large chalkboard with multiple spaces for people to write some of their hopes for the future. Since the wall is on the path I take for most of my downtown walks, I read them several days each week. I’ve laughed and wept, said “me too” or “not me,” and wondered how many of the hopes chalked on that wall will be realized.
The Woman, the Hour, and the Garden, by Addison Hodges Hart
Hart’s vision is at once allegorical, moral, and eschatological. Christ, married to the church, draws us into deeper life with God.
American Bible Society marks 200th birthday
c. 2016 Religion News Service
(RNS) Two hundred years ago, the American Bible Society was founded to distribute scriptures across the U.S. and the globe....
Pope Francis wants to study idea of ordaining women as deacons
c. 2016 Religion News Service...
Grading our work
After sharing laudatory remarks about Nai-Wang Kwok, the YDS dean invited him to respond. I have thought a lot about the three sentences Kwok said before he sat down again.
Come, Holy Spirit, come
Many years ago I was the interim pastor at a small church and was free to celebrate Pentecost without regard to that congregation’s tradition. We decided that it would be confirmation day for the small group of youth who had been going to classes and they wanted red balloons among other things. This was long before I knew anything about latex allergies so red balloons it was. They were tied in bunches all over the sanctuary and there were red streamers galore. It was a day of joy to be sure.
Until a balloon escaped and wrapped itself around a ceiling fan.
Look away from the trending topics
Time was when we had a neutral commons where those of us who wanted to say something could say it, try to earn people’s attention, and choose whether to give them our own. I’m speaking of course of the internet—a long decade ago, before social media swallowed it whole.
Shadows of a saint
Williams was at once theologian, mystic, poet, novelist, editor, playwright, and critic, not to mention (possibly) a living Anglican saint.
The sting of spring: Notes from the farm
Harvesting wild greens always returns me to our species' hunter-gatherer roots. Not so long ago, this is what people did the world over.
Mystical communism
Analyzing the relationship between faith and the political left—its history and present condition—reveals a century filled with antagonisms. But there are also affinities and technologies for continuing rapprochement.
Historically there has been an undeniable antagonism between religion and communism.
How to make friends with your e-mail inbox
Recently I read about a proposal for eliminating e-mail. After all, e-mail consumes time, adds extra pressure to an already stressful workplace, fragments attention, and feels like a never-ending black hole sometimes. One friend says bluntly, “I hate e-mail.” Some have written about taming the e-mail monster, and others have already abandoned e-mail in favor of texting or other forms of communicating.
But I’m still a fan of e-mail.
The morality of drone warfare
How might Christian communities take up war-making and peacemaking as acts of discipleship?
Londoners elect Sadiq Khan as first Muslim mayor
Sadiq Khan, the son of a Pakistani-born bus driver, became the first Muslim mayor of London despite a campaign that included accusations of extremism....
May 29, Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time: 1 Kings 8:22-23, 41-43; Galatians 1:1-12; Luke 7:1-10
In Galatians, Paul is confrontational. While we should be more cautious about calling other people "foolish," we can learn from him that tolerance shouldn't depend on denying one's faith, and being grounded in one's faith shouldn't lead to intolerance or coercion.
Thirsty in Detroit: Water shutoffs and baptismal witness
At St. Peter's, the font beckons Detroiters to wade into freedom—while the bottled water around it brings to mind the principalities and powers.
A word of thanks to those 111 clergy
As I work today, my mind travels to the United Methodist clergy who came out as LGBTQ before the General Conference, to challenge the denomination’s policy which bans the ordination of “practicing homosexuals.” While the number is stunning, I keep thinking of each individual person who has risked their livelihood and calling, for this historic moment.
Answering Babel
One doesn't need to be a biblical scholar to recognize the link between the story of the Tower of Babel and the story of Pentecost. The former is the divinely appointed confusion of human languages, while the latter shows how the Holy Spirit transcends that barrier to translate the good news of Jesus Christ into every language. In many intentional ways, the two stories go together, and I'm a little surprised that the Genesis 11 reading is only available in lectionary Year C.
Methodist General Conference to discuss sexuality, divestment
c. 2016 Religion News Service
CHICAGO (RNS) “It’s time,” said A. Wendy Witt during Sunday services at First United Methodist Church at the Chicago Temple....
The price of brutality
No charges were filed against the police officer who killed Tamir Rice. But others are being held responsible: taxpayers.