ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSSeptember 27, 2022I’ve been thinking a lot about the important, yet challenging dance between forgiveness and responsibility. So often, when someone receives forgiveness for a wrong committed, the person believes the forgiveness has expunged any need to take responsibility for the wrong. I do not believe forgiveness removes the accountability of the one who did the wrong. In faith, God’s forgiveness releases us from guilt and fear,
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSSeptember 26, 2022As we continue to draw upon the notion of a Breath Prayer, you are invited to think about those in the world who struggle to know and claim health of body, mind and spirit. Too many are stripped of their humanity, and they are often left hungering for what would nourish them – physically, emotionally or spiritually. For all whose life experiences leave them yearning
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSSeptember 25, 2022I often remind people how the word in the Bible, “Believe,” is not necessarily something you do with your head, but with your heart. There are those who would suggest a better way of translating the original Greek of the New Testament would be Belove. According to Mark’s Gospel, some of the first words Jesus spoke as he began his new ministry were a sort
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSSeptember 24, 2022For those who have not seen me in the last couple of days, my hair is even shorter than usual. Some of you are wondering how that could be and that was my wife’s comment. There is a reason for the short hair – a few days ago, I wrote about Mahsa Amini who was killed by the morality police in Iran for not wearing
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSSeptember 23, 2022I caught just a few minutes of the Faith Leaders Congressional Briefing & National Press Conference earlier today. This was an event put on by the Poor People’s Campaign, a national movement started by one of our denominational pastors, Bishop William Barber. During the Briefing/Press Conference, Rabbi Michael Pollack spoke powerfully, and some of his words struck me. He spoke of the systemic bribery in
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSSeptember 22, 2022Historically, Christianity described the journey of faith as: Beliefs -to- Behavior -to- Belonging. When you first entered the faith community, you were told there were certain things you had to believe. These were usually associated with creeds and doctrinal statements. Once you could recite the proper beliefs, you were taught the proper behaviors – a lot of you must do this and you cannot do
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSSeptember 21, 2022A few days ago, I received word that a professor and mentor, who later became a good friend, had died. Dr. Joe Jones was an extraordinary theologian who trained so many ministers with a clear understanding of why a good systematic (another way of saying consistent) theology is important. Though as a student, I did not fully appreciate the implications, it became very evident early
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSSeptember 20, 2022Negin Ansari is one of our newer church members. Before moving to the United States, Negin worked for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in the Tehran Office, specifically working with victims and survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. Yesterday, she reached out to share with me a story that maybe some of you have heard. On September 13, a 22-year-old Iranian woman, Mahsa
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSSeptember 19, 2022Prayer for the Week: Speak to me and I will listen; reveal yourself and I will be watching; teach me and I promise to have an open heart. O Author of the Love First Life, I seek to be shaped in the likeness of Jesus and the love he gave witness to with his life and death. It does not come easily, for there are
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSSeptember 18, 2022What does it mean to say, “I believe in X” (X represents whatever someone believes)? Someone might say, I believe in Jesus or I believe in the power of love or I believe Christmas decorations should not be in the stores before Halloween. What do you believe? Is belief solely an intellectual exercise, or is there more to it? The Old Testament Prophets were deeply