Like a lot of congregations, First Christian has been worshipping apart since March. It’s been going okay, though I’m glad I had some skills in video editing before this all hit. I wanted to share with you a sample from last week’s service. The first is a video from the sermon by my friend Rob. The second is yours truly giving the prayer. If you want to see the full video, go over to the church website. I hope it’s good news to your soul. Continue reading Damage Report!
Dear Friends and Family of First Christian Church of St. Paul: Last week in the immediate aftermath of the killing of George Floyd I decided to go for a walk. We live in North Minneapolis. It was a nice sunny … Continue reading To the Church at Lake Wobegon
Race relations are better than they were 60 years ago. Ahmaud Arbery reminds us all there is still more to be done to combat racism. Continue reading Blood Cries Out
Note: I need to say that this blog post is NOT an endorsement of corporal punishment. The post is reflecting the some of the more complex emotions on this sensitive issue.
When the news first broke about Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson being indicted for physically abusing his child, my “official” belief was that what he he did crossed a line. Parents can discipline children, but if the photos that have been shown are true, well, this was way beyond a little pat on the butt.
But deep down, I felt an odd feeling- knowing that sooner or later, the issue would move to talking about corporal punishment and what role it should have in parenting if any.
I have to say, that if I ever have children I’m pretty sure I would not spank them. I just don’t think that this line of punishment works anymore.
That said, when people start talking about how horrible it is to spank children and what horrible parents these people are, I get angry at the those people. Continue reading “Corporal Punishment, Race and Adrian Peterson”
Last winter, I wrote a somewhat contrarian blog post on the Prosperity Gospel. I never did endorse it, but I was trying to talk about the fact that for those on the lower economic margins that happen to think about money, they are more willing to talk about finances and how this relates to their walk with God. Something today made me think about the Prosperity Gospel again and I noticed something about most of the critics of it: They’re all white. Now, I can only make that statement from what I’ve observed. Maybe there is an African American pastor … Continue reading The Prosperity Gospel in Black and White
In the Summer of 1992, my parents and I went on vacation to Toronto and Niagara Falls. On the day that we were on the Canadian side, we decided to drive over to Niagara Falls, NY to see the American Falls. This meant crossing the border back into the United States. As we cross the bridge spanning the two nations, we stopped at border crossing welcoming us back into the United States. We ended up with a white border guard that decided to annoy us. He asked questions in a tone that bothered us. Dad was getting more and more … Continue reading Ferguson and Everything After
I do have something to say about Michael Brown, the police and Ferguson, MO. But while I’m thinking about what to write, I wanted to share a post I wrote in the days following the verdict acquitting George Zimmerman in the murder of Trayvon Martin. Funny how only the names have been changed. Ever since the verdict from the George Zimmerman case was made known, I’ve been wondering what I wanted to write about this event. I happened to be down the road from Sanford, Florida in Orlando for the 2013 General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). … Continue reading Repost: Beyond George Zimmerman (the Ferguson Edition)
I don’t follow financial guru Dave Ramsey much. I’ve heard him a few times on NPR, and I know he’s about offering folks some practical advice on debt and basically how to live financially. I also know that he blends his faith into his talks on economics. I think he does a good job with what he does; giving folks some hard truth when it comes to finances. Ramsey is facing some harsh criticism from some fellow Christians over a recent blog post on his website. He shared a list from another site entitled “20 Things the Rich Do Every … Continue reading A Few Thoughts on Dave Ramsey and Poverty
The Clockwork Pastor 