When I was a kid, I remember having to take two different liquid medicines for my asthma. One was called Quibron. It. Was. Nasty. Quibron had to be the most foul thing I have ever tasted. It was hard to keep it down as Mom tried to dispense it. I can remember one scene from... Continue Reading →
We Call Ourselves Disciples
My wife Jan and I have been members of First Christian Church of St. Paul for nearly 20 years. We love the congregational focus. We particularly embrace the dedication to the principles of wholeness and inclusiveness of the Disciples of Christ, that welcome everyone to the Communion Table with no exceptions. We have recently rededicated... Continue Reading →
Why Being Nice to The Gays Won’t Save Your Church*
This past week, the Presbyterian Church (USA) meeting in Detroit, approved pastors being able to marry same sex partners in states where same sex marriage is legal. According to Presbyterian polity, it still has to get the approval of the majority of presbyteries (there are 172) before it becomes the law. Judging Facebook and Twitter... Continue Reading →
I Miss DOCDISC
Along the lines of missing DisciplesWorld, I also miss DOCDISC. DOCDISC is the email group for Disciples. I remember joining it in the late 90s and it was always an engaging medium to talk about issues both worldwide and within the denomination. These days, only one person makes email posts, a poet that see this... Continue Reading →
Via Media Disciples?
I've noticed a blog called Via Media Methodists which is trying to get out of the left-right box the American church finds itself in. That leaves me wondering: are there a group of Disciples who want to elevate the discourse in our tradition? This is how Via Media Methodists describe themselves: Via media, Latin for... Continue Reading →
For Heaven’s Sake
I have to write a piece for the Christian Century on a lectionary passage. I decided on writing something on Revelation 7:-9-17. It's kind of a fitting text, because it deals with the afterlife (or could be interpreted that way). Right now I'm a little frustrated on the subject of heaven. My views of heaven... 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 →
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 →
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 →
I Miss the Old Mel White
I recently read an interview with Rev. Mel White. Most of you know him as someone who grew up as an evangelical, was a ghostwriter for many big evangelical stars and then came out as gay. I remember hearing about him in the mid-to-late 90s and back then he was kind of the SpongeBob Squarepants... Continue Reading →