ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSAugust 27, 2025My friend, Rev. Michael Dunn, posted an old quote from the late Bishop John Shelby Spong. The Bishop said, “God is not a Christian. God is not a Jew or a Muslim or a Hindu or a Buddhist. I honor my tradition. I walk through my tradition. But I don’t believe my tradition defines God. It only points me to God.” Like a lot of
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSAugust 26, 2025I saw something yesterday that cracked me up. I have been chuckling about it all day. I took a picture and have shown it to others. Guess what? No one else thinks it is at all humorous. If you are wondering whether I know that my sense of humor is weird, I am fully aware of the oddity that is Bruce Frogge. And how Bruce’s
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSAugust 25, 2025Prayer for the Week: Christ Jesus proclaimed a feast of grace for all. Christ Jesus fed a multitude with a feast of grace. Christ Jesus fed those who would betray him at a feast of grace. Christ Jesus invited his followers to do even greater things than he had done. Holy and Magnificent God, we see in Jesus the one who invited us to the
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSAugust 24, 2025It’s Sunday! Bring an attitude of expectation this day, for the God who invites us together for worship plans to make it worth our while. I’m not suggesting that what God has in store for you or for me is going to blow us away, but it might just be what we are needing. Though a single worship experience can change someone’s life, I tend
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSAugust 23, 2025Tomorrow is Sunday, and in worship, we are going to be focusing our attention on praise. I know, it sounds a little redundant. The Hebrew word (the Old Testament) we often translate as praise is yadah. It is a word associated with the hand, and it literally means to throw something away from yourself, like a rock. But the idea, in regard to our relationship
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSAugust 22, 2025I’m not wanting to argue the politics… maybe another day, but I was both fascinated and deeply troubled by a proposal to require “good moral character” for anyone who is seeking to become a naturalized citizen. In theory, I believe most all of us are in favor of good moral character for everyone, not just those seeking citizenship. But isn’t that subjective? For my grandparents,
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSAugust 21, 2025A couple of days ago, a fragment of an asteroid burned up over Japan, and in the process, it lit up the night sky with shocking brilliance. I’m sure for anyone who was outside, especially in a rather dark location, it was a bit shocking. Videos from different locations show how night became day. Almost immediately, news reports were calming the concerns of citizens who
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSAugust 20, 2025On this day in 1858, Charles Darwin first published his theory of evolution. Have you ever watched a three-year-old in a checkout line lose his/her mind when the answer is, “No!” after requesting a chocolate bar? Well, the meltdown among many Christians was similar once word began to spread about Darwin. But like a lot of things, the information received by people lacked context and
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSAugust 19, 2025Though I didn’t get up yesterday as early as I usually do (Monday is my day off), I still had some quiet time by myself in which I prayed for, among other things, our church. The last few weeks, we have experienced some really marvelous happenings—everything from good worship to an ordination to eight new members joining the church to a really fun night of
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSAugust 18, 2025On this day in 1920, Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify what would become the 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote. Though I am proud we have the amendment, I sort of wonder why it took so long. Today, let us not only give thanks for the rights that we have to participate in our democracy, but let us also be mindful