 |
|
|
Author Archive
“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations caused by the roaring of the sea and the waves,” proclaims Jesus in the gospel of Luke. He continued:
People will faint…
Continue reading this entry »
Tags: Advent, biblical, birth, book of revelation, Christ, Christianity, Christians, Christmas, God, Gospel, gospel of luke, heaven, History, history of christianity, Jesus, lamb, late great planet earth, lectionary, Liberal, Liturgical, liturgical year, Luke, Modern, mother, oppression, postmodern, power, progressive, protestant, redemption, Reflection, Revelation, Shalom, signs of the times, Theology, tradition, Waiting, Western
During the last few days, Psalm 109:8, a Bible verse in the form of a “prayer for Obama,” has topped the Google trends chart: “May his days be few; may another take his office.” Evidently, a bumper sticker emblazoned with…
Continue reading this entry »
Tags: Bible, bible verse, biblical, bumper sticker, c s lewis, Christianity, death, google trends, hatred, humility, orphan, passions, pray, Prayer, President Obama, protest, psalm 109, Religious, vengeance, victim, violent images
This week, a friend sent me a link to a video from Southwestern Baptist Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas titled “Taking the Hill.” I thought it might be a political video encouraging conservative Christians to go to Washington to lobby against…
Continue reading this entry »
Tags: America, attack, Bible, blessed are the peacemakers, camouflage, Christianity, church and state, Conservative, conservative christians, Guns, guns and violence, History, history of christianity, Jesus, peacemakers, Peacemaking, pulpit, Religion, Religious Freedom, Seminary, soldier, southwestern baptist seminary, southwestern baptist theological seminary, Violence, weapons
ABC’s Nightline has been running a series on the Ten Commandments in which they explore the issues and dimensions of each commandment in contemporary society.
The series is interesting and, in many ways, inclusive. After all, the Ten Commandments form the ethical…
Continue reading this entry »
Tags: abuse, blessing, Christian, Community, context, denomination, Forgiveness, History, history of christianity, Idolatry, inspiration, interpretation, Jesus, Jew, Jews, love, monotheistic religions, morality, murder, nightline, postmodern, rabbi, reconciliation, Religion, religions, Religious, religious group, repression, Taliban, teaching, Ten Commandments, tradition, Violence, wisdom, Worship
I was too young to remember President John F. Kennedy. My mother worked on his campaign and hauled her baby (me) along with her to pass out literature. She assures me that one of my first words was “k-e-n-d-y.” I…
Continue reading this entry »
Tags: Campaign, Christ, Christianity, church, Cross, faith communities, fear mongering, government, healing, Health, health care, History, john f kennedy, killing, leaders, mainline, neighbor, peace, Politics, President Obama, progressive, protestant, protestant clergy, racist, racist epithets, Shalom, Summer, unity, xenophobia
“Progressive” has become the adjective of choice to describe faith communities with commitments to justice, serving the poor, and environmentalism. Yet, in the last couple of months, a number of faith leaders have pointed out that the term lacks clarity…
Continue reading this entry »
Tags: Christianity, debate, Emerging, Evangelical, faith, faith communities, faith leaders, History, history of christianity, justice, leaders, Liberal, Politics, Post-Modern, postmodern, power structures, progressive, progressive community, progressive groups, progressive issues, Prophetic, purists, Religion, reproductive freedom, serving, Story, theological differences, unity
Wednesday morning, at 9 a.m. sharp, I took my tax payment to the local post office. When I handed it to the clerk, she said, “I hate tax day.” I replied, “Not me. I don’t love parting with the money,…
Continue reading this entry »
Tags: Christian, Christianity, church, Conservative, conservative christians, Ethics, exegesis, Gospel, greed, Jesus, justice, money, morality, partisan, patriotism, Poor, Privilege, progressive, progressive income tax, progressive tax, progressives, rich, scudder, security, social ethic, social gospel, social justice, social reforms, state, system, Taxes, tea parties, teaching, theologian, wage, wealth, Work
In this week’s town hall meetings, President Obama demonstrated an important aspect of his office: Pastor-in-Chief.
Americans do not elect a president on the basis of theology or denomination, but we do elect presidents on the basis of how well they…
Continue reading this entry »
Tags: Abraham Lincoln, church, church and state, compassion, crisis, Elkhart, Henrietta Hughes, Indiana, pastor, Pastor-in-chief, pastoral, Politics, Preaching, President, President Obama, Theology
The Christmas Eve window hid a picture of the baby Jesus with his arms stretched out to embrace the world — a poignant reminder that ultimately this is a story of love, God’s love, and our response to that love…
Continue reading this entry »
This morning’s window opened to a picture of Joseph, Mary’s husband and Jesus’ earthly father.
Several years ago, when we were trying to sell our house in Memphis, a Catholic neighbor told me to buy a statue of St. Joseph, bury…
Continue reading this entry »
As the days grow shorter, darker, and colder, our longing for the light intensifies. In these lengthened days of winter, the Advent calendar window opened to reveal Mary, the mother of Jesus, the one who carried light into the world.
When…
Continue reading this entry »
I missed yesterday’s Advent reflection. Although I woke up early to write, I discovered that a winter cold was coming on, I rushed to help my daughter get ready for school, and I had to get to a meeting. In…
Continue reading this entry »
A set of double doors marked “17″ on my Advent calendar opened to a charming image of a minister surrounded by children.
My first thought was of one of the most famous passages in the New Testament:
People were bringing little children…
Continue reading this entry »
The 16th window on the cathedral revealed a gargoyle—not exactly a traditional Christmas picture! Gargoyles are ancient architectural features on buildings of monsters or ugly creatures that act as waterspouts to carry rain away from buildings. They are imagined to…
Continue reading this entry »
This morning, I found window 15 outside the church building on the stairs leading up to the cathedral door. Upon opening it, a picture of a smiling family greeted me—a father, mother, and two children.
Christmas is a time for both…
Continue reading this entry »
The December 13 window opens to the fourth gospel—the eagle symbol of the evangelist John.
Since the Christian community’s earliest days, the eagle has represented John. The eagle is, of course, a creature of the sky, soaring above with a God’s…
Continue reading this entry »
Tags: Advent, Advent Calendar, Christ, Christmas, eagle, evangelist, Jesus, John, Luke, Mark, Matthew, My Advent Calendar, Robin Griffith-Jones, Sophia, symbol, wisdom
Following on the theme of the last two windows, Dec. 12 on the Advent calendar opened to a picture of an ox with a book—the symbol of the gospel of Luke.
The ox, a strong and sturdy creature, represents work. Unlike…
Continue reading this entry »
Tags: Advent, Advent Calendar, auto, automakers, bailout, big three, business, car, ceos, Christianity, Christmas, Detroit, Economics, economy special focus, Gospel, Harold Attridge, Holidays, Jesus, Kingdom of God, Labor, Luke, Mark, market, Matthew, My Advent Calendar, ox, Poor, recession, Republican, rich, Senator Harry Reid, stock market, unemployment, unions, wages, Wall Street, Workers
|
|
- MOST VIEWED
- MOST COMMENTED
- RECENTLY POSTED
|
