Ever since my disastrous Christmas Eve service, I've been thinking about the C&E (exclusively Christmas and Easter attendees) crowd and what it might mean to tailor a service in a way that reaches them. What is the ministry of the church in the context of these services? The first, perfectly valid question is whether or not such a thing is even ( Read more... )

The very real, relevant, they-didn't-teach-this-in-seminary and they-won't-ask-this-at-my-ordination-interview homiletical question is this ( Read more... )

Someone recommended this link to pegkerr to help her pass the time, and it is the funniest thing I've seen ever. Of course, it helps if, like me, you suffered through all twelve Left Behind books just for the sake of laughing at them/ being horrified by them/ being prepared to explain to people why they are laughable and horrifying. The author of this ( Read more... )

Marcus Borg said one other thing in his lectures that revolutionized the way I think about language for Jesus. It was in his lecture about reclaiming Christian language, and it should be noted that this was by no means my first exposure to ideas like this; it’s just the time I got this particular point. In fact, I’m sure that had I been able to ( Read more... )

As promised, my notes from Marcus Borg's lectures in Middlebury, October 19-20.

( Marcus Borg )

Holy mother of God, I got the shock of my life today.

I mentioned earlier that the worship team and I decided to observe Children's Sabbath this week, a worship service focused on children's issues and organized by the Children's Defense Fund. The theme for this year's children's sabbath is: "My Boat is So Small: Creating Havens of Hope and ( Read more... )

Every so often, people wonder (sometimes aloud, and sometimes even to my face) about the necessity of all those years of schooling. Did I really need to study philosophy and religion for four years in undergraduate and three years in graduate school, or was that a waste? they ask. Doesn't God just speak to the faithful and tell them what to do? Isn ( Read more... )

And also, probably (because of that), my best ( Read more... )

bitterlight posted a great topic about when gifted kids meet their match and have to come to terms with their weaknesses, and asked her readers to share their stories. Mine was too long for a comment. ( In fact, it's too long for a post... )

Because pegkerr asked, and pointed to the article about which I now have much to say, here are my thoughts and responses to 'Harry Potter and the Death of God,' by Michael O'Brien (I will cite relevant passages of the article, but it might be helpful to read it and appreciate its true, er, flavor. Also, be forewarned that my copy of Deathly Hallows is ( Read more... )