I've been an avid reader of Frederick Schmidt's blog for nearly a year now. I've really enjoyed his columns which urge us to ask what it truly means to follow Jesus in our modern world. Today he takes on some proposed changes in the Episcopal Church. One such proposal asks that communion "ought to be... Continue Reading →
Repost: Aspie Reflections: What Do You Do With An MDiv?
The following post is from May 2008, just after I received my Aspergers diagnosis. One of things I was thinking of back then is how to be a pastor with autism. I don't think I have the answers today, but I think I'm a bit more confident that God does have a place for me... Continue Reading →
Making a Case for Being Open and Affirming
The church where I'm the Associate Pastor (First Christian Church in Minneapolis) is considering becoming an official Open and Affirming Congregation in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). The congregation has a long history of welcoming gay and lesbian folk into the life of the congregation, so in many ways they have been a living... Continue Reading →
Repost: Notes from a Reluctant Liberal Christian
This was originally posted in January 2011.A few years ago, a dear friend of mine described me as an evangelical turned liberal Protestant. I remember blanching at that definition. Politically, I tend to lean more center-right/libertarian. Theologically, I'm pretty orthodox.But the fact is, I am a liberal Protestant these days. I'm ordained into a mainline... Continue Reading →
Jesus is a Cat Person
One of the more common understandings of Christianity that I've found in Mainline churches is that God is all about love. I struggle with that belief. I know that God is a loving God, and as expressed in the life, death and resurrection of Christ, we get to see a God that really did love those... Continue Reading →
The Problems With Following Jesus
I finally finished reading Andrew Sullivan's Holy Week essay on Christianity in Crisis. There's a lot of think about in this article, so I have a list of what questions came to mind as a read this.We really can't know Jesus without the church. Sullivan seems to think there is the pure Jesus out there... Continue Reading →
Remember You Are Dust…
Ten years ago during Ash Wednesday of 2002, I was a chaplain at Luther Hall in Minneapolis. Luther Hall was what you would probably call a nursing home, though the people there were at various stages in their lives; some were transitioning from surgery, back to home or to another facility; but some were there... Continue Reading →
Learning to Love “Bubba”
I was reading an article in the New Yorker today on the white working class in America and how they are falling further and further behind economically and socially. If you haven't read it, I would urge folks to read George Packer's essay, "Poor, White and Republican." Packer gives a good description of these folks... Continue Reading →
Learning to Love "Bubba"
I was reading an article in the New Yorker today on the white working class in America and how they are falling further and further behind economically and socially. If you haven't read it, I would urge folks to read George Packer's essay, "Poor, White and Republican." Packer gives a good description of these folks... Continue Reading →
The Numbers Game
If you're the pastor of a mainline Protestant congregation, one of the things that you do a lot of is obesess over numbers. We are always paying attention to the attendance on Sunday mornings during worship. We wonder how many folks will attend Christmas Eve or Maundy Thursday. We wonder how many will come... Continue Reading →
The Clockwork Pastor 