In the week or so since New York Times columnist Ross Douthat wrote his column on Liberal Christianity, there has been a ton of responses from Progressive Christians on the issue- most of it taking umbrage at Douthat's article. Because Douthat is a political and social conservative, many progressives easily wrote him off and saw... Continue Reading →
Sunday Sermon: Mc Jesus
This was a sermon I wrote and intended to preach at United Lutheran Church in Grand Forks, ND in 2006. I never preached this sermon, but wrote another one for that Sunday. Since I'm preaching on this text again on July 29, I thought I'd share this with you all. “McJesus” John 6:1-21 United Lutheran... Continue Reading →
Writing and Aspergers
Since writing about the church is getting kind of depressing, I wanted to focus a bit on writing and aspergers. While writing is something I like doing, I have to admit it has always been difficult. Back in college, writing news stories was an arduous task for me. I was constantly wanting to make sure... Continue Reading →
Saving Liberal Christianity
On the heels of what I wrote late last week on the pitfalls of Progressive Christianity, there has been a flurry of articles on the future of liberal Christianity. I want to start off with a piece by Allan Bevere who wrote the following last Friday: In recent years evangelical Protestantism has been going through a... Continue Reading →
I Am Joe Paterno…Revisited
I was going to write something about the report from former FBI head Louis Freeh on the scandal at Penn State and the resulting comments from folks. But there isn't really much more to add to this, so I will just share what I wrote eight months ago when the scandal broke called "I Am... Continue Reading →
Me and Progressive Christianity Just Don’t Get Each Other
Can one be a Progressive Christian and be a Republican? How about a libertarian? When I was growing up, it wasn't odd for me to be evangelical and have liberal politics. It still isn't that odd, there are many liberal evangelicals running around. I've tended to see evangelicalism as far more diverse than what popular... Continue Reading →
On Funerals and Christian Cliches
This past weekend, I was in Orlando, Florida for the funeral of an uncle. My Uncle David was the youngest of my mother's siblings dying at the age of sixty. Diabetes took it's toll on David's body and finally that body gave out. David leaves behind a grieving widow and five children, three of which... Continue Reading →
Repost: In Search of a Disciples Identity
The following post was published in 2009. I am not what they would call a "cradle Disciple," someone who was born and raised in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). I found the Disciples about a decade ago. At this point, having been ordained and now serving in a Disciples church, I can say that... Continue Reading →
You Gotta Serve Somebody
It's been interesting watching my Facebook feed today in light of the Supreme Court decision on the Affordable Care Act. What has made it interesting is seeing a number of mainline pastors kind of be so nakedly partisan. I guess it shouldn't shock me. Mainline Protestantism has long ago jumped into bed with liberal interests... Continue Reading →
Salvation for Jerry Sandusky?
John Meunier opines on the Jerry Sandusky verdict according to Wesleyan theology: God wants to save Jerry Sandusky. God can save him. But unless Sandusky turns toward God, he will be under God’s wrath. Even if he turns to God and receives assurance of his salvation, he will remain tempted powerfully by the sin that... Continue Reading →
The Clockwork Pastor 