ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSAugust 21, 2024Yesterday, here at Chautauqua, Sherman Jackson, the Chair of Islamic Thought and Culture at the University of California, offered a wonderful lecture. One of the many fascinating things he talked about was how some people of faith believe it is their job to either redeem others or condemn others. Those are the two options, yet those options sort of leave out what was and is
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSAugust 20, 2024As many of you know, I am currently in Chautauqua, and it is actually cold. For those of you who do not know what Chautauqua is, the best explanation I can give is that Chautauqua is a church camp for adults, specifically those who are seeking to hear new ideas and to do so within the context of other thoughtful people. One of the speakers
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSAugust 19, 2024From the Prayer of Confession at Chautauqua’s Sunday morning worship service: We’ve been too easily seduced by easy answers, half-truths and false judgments. We have failed to seek Your truth, and love one another as you have commanded. Christ, have mercy. In this tense and often ugly season of politics, may the confessions we make in prayer be made with a sense of expectation, for
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSAugust 18, 2024Ken Wilber says that most of us are only willing to call into question 5 percent of our present information, and that’s on our best days. The job of a pastor is to work gently within that 5 percent and slowly help individuals make needed changes where change is needed. Prophets, on the other hand, appear to have no concern about a person’s inability to
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSAugust 17, 2024People often tell of how Edison failed 10,000 times before finally finding success with the electric lightbulb. I don’t know if that story is historically accurate or not, but it is often used to encourage people to be persistent. It is a nice story, but most of us are ready to throw in the towel when one bad thing is followed by a second and
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSAugust 16, 2024The Prophet Isaiah, wrote in chapter 55, “…so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it. For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall burst
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSAugust 15, 2024Again and again, surveys seem to indicate that clergy are not perceived as ethical and honest by the general public. Nurses are always at the top of the list, along with dentists, teachers, and veterinarians. Despite my profession’s poor numbers, we do remain above politicians and car salespeople. But it sometimes feels like a race to mediocrity. Even more troubling is how the poor grade
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSAugust 14, 2024I was driving down Ella Blvd. on Monday in the area of Klein Collins High School. What I saw in the parking lot of the high school brought a rush of memories to my mind. The marching band was rehearsing formations. I don’t know how long they had been practicing that day, but years ago, we would have two rehearsals each day in the weeks
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSAugust 13, 2024Now some people might say that I am getting political with what I’m about to write, but I do not believe I am being political when I talk about a core theological principle that has far-reaching implications. The whole thing about the 10 Commandments in classrooms is, in my opinion, utter nonsense. First, no child has ever been inspired to change his/her ways because of
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSAugust 12, 2024Prayer for the Week: Young and old and everywhere in between—there are people returning to the classroom, some as students and some as educators. O Wisdom of Life, open the heavens and pour forth your creativity, a hunger for knowledge, an exuberant curiosity, a yearning for difficult questions, and an equal passion to explore those questions. Jesus, the Rabbi, never reached for the easy answers,