Authors /
Jonathan Grieser
Jonathan Grieser is rector of Grace Episcopal Church in Madison, WI. His blog is part of the CCblogs network.
Anti-Semitism is Christianity’s original sin
Attacks on Jewish people, like attacks on African Americans, place a mirror in front of our culture and religion.
Whited sepulchers or living stones?
Many churches have signs declaring that all are welcome. But are their buildings really inviting to the community around them?
More than a social service program
Through sharing the Eucharist in a public park, homeless people and those with houses become one body.
Some thoughts on the future of Christian formation for children (and their parents)
I had one of those conversations last week that’s had me reflecting on our assumptions as clergy and churches, the way we do things, and what the future might look like.
A few weeks ago, a family visited the church I serve. We talked after the service and I learned that they hadn’t attended church regularly in a very long time but that all of their children had been baptized and they were hoping to reconnect. Instead of encouraging them to sign the guestbook as I usually do, I gave them my business card and urged them to contact me.
Blessed are you . . . the Beatitudes and discipleship
I’m reading Bonhoeffer’s Cost of Discipleship along with our Lenten Bible study on the Sermon on the Mount. I’m not sure when I last spent any time with this Christian classic (25 years, 35 years?). Coming back to it after all those years, it’s striking both in the way it reflects its historical context and the ways in which it transcends its time and still speaks to us decades later.
God loves Uganda
The “Kill the Gays” bill in Uganda has become law. I had the chance to see God Loves Uganda, a documentary that gives part of the background of the bill, including the involvement of American evangelicals in advocating for its passage. But there’s a larger story that would provide important context—the history of colonialism in East Africa and of Anglicanism in Uganda.
A man died on the steps of my church Sunday night
Sunday night, a homeless man died on the steps just outside the entrance to the men’s drop-in shelter at Grace Episcopal Church in Madison, WIsconsin, the church I serve....
The pope's challenge to all of us
I’ve had a chance to read the pope’s apostolic exhortation Gaudium Evangelii, and I’ve also been following much of the media and blogoverse response....
Taxes, clergy and the state
My church's neighbors down the street at the Freedom From Religion Foundation went next door to the Federal District Court and ...
The devil and Justice Scalia
There was a good bit of incredulity in my Twitter feed the other day in reaction to the interview with Antonin Scalia in which he confessed to belief in the devil. His response to the interviewer should have silenced the Twitterverse.
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