An interesting meditation on the role of the tragic in life of Christian worship and in modern culture: The problem with much Christian worship in the contemporary world, Catholic and Protestant alike, is not that it is too entertaining but that it is not entertaining enough. Worship characterized by upbeat rock music, stand-up comedy, beautiful... Continue Reading →
Repost: I Miss the Old Mel White
The positive Mel White of old the "SpongeBob Squarepants of the gay community" is long gone. What's left is a man that's pretty pissed off at the church and when I say church, I mean the whole church.
Why I Act Like a Jerk at Times (or What You Should Know About Aspergers)
When I tell folks that I have Aspergers, the first reaction is usually that I have this cute, eccentric trait, like that charming old uncle they once knew. Sooner or later, the same folks witness me doing something stupid; something that might come off as me not caring. They are appalled and upset at my... Continue Reading →
Repost: Autism and Contemplative Worship
From the summer of 2012. In this post I share how a contemplative worship experience can be a benefit to those with autism. Last night at church we held our first Summer Evening Worship. As many of you know, First Christian shares space with a UCC congregation and a Lutheran congregation. I shared an idea... Continue Reading →
Why Does God Hate Suburbs?
I'm a city kid. I grew up in Flint, Michigan and was only an hour away from Detroit. The 1970s, my childhood, was the time when we heard a new phrase: white flight. It was a time when whites who lived in cities like Flint and Detroit, left the inner cities to head to a... Continue Reading →
Repost: We Can’t Be Friends
First off, welcome to all the new visitors who saw my post on Freshly Pressed. Below is a post from last year. It was about 20 years ago, that I attended a large Baptist church in Washington, DC. The church was an odd mix, or at least it would be odd today. Evangelicals and liberals... Continue Reading →
Children’s Sermon: “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark!”
“Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark!” Revelation 21:10-22:5 Sixth Sunday of Easter May 5, 2013 First Christian Church Minneapolis, MN Morning, guys. So, I wanted to ask you all: are you afraid of the dark? When I was your age, my Mom and Dad had a nighlight in my room, because I was scared of... Continue Reading →
Is There a Plan B for Plan B?
I don't have kids. But if I had a daughter and she was say around 12, would I want her to be able buy Plan B without my say-so or even knowledge? The Obama Administration has decided to offer Plan B, the emergency contraceptive, to women over the age of 15 without a perscription. All... Continue Reading →
Abortion and the Balance
Rachel Held Evans asks her fellow progressive Christians to start caring about abortion in light of the Kermit Gosnell case: It seems to me that Christians who are more conservative and Christians who are more liberal, Christians who are politically pro-life and Christians who are politically pro-choice, should be able to come together on this... Continue Reading →
Discipleship or Consumerism?
A few days ago, I was at a church retreat. In response to a question on what challenges the church is facing, a woman remarked that one challenge is how people don't really want to get involved in church. They don't see it as a life, as much as a place where they can get... Continue Reading →
The Clockwork Pastor 