Category: Christianity
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Not Exploited, But Emptied
Today I woke up thinking, “Who really knows how to do Palm Sunday?” After my mind ran through various possibilities, I ended up worshiping with the Episcopalians. When I arrived, an usher standing at the door of the sanctuary handed me a thick pile of paper and directed me to the courtyard. People smiled politely…
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The Wellspring
If you’ve been following my posts, you know that during sabbatical I’ve been visiting various worshiping communities on Sundays. Last week I went to a church near my home, but today I went to the church closest to where we live. Wellspring Church, also known as the First Samoan Congregational Christian Church, happens to be…
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Close Proximity
As a pastor on sabbatical, one of my practices has been to visit churches and other spiritual communities. This week I decided to look and see what were the closest churches to my home in Santa Rosa. One of them is a non-denominational Evangelical church and I rode my bike there for the 10:00 a.m.…
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To Love an Enemy
I’ve been thinking lately about whether it is possible, or even desirable, to love an enemy. In his sermon on the mount, Jesus says, ““You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”…
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Adventures in Preaching 2.0
I’ve blogged before but it’s been awhile. When I was in my doctoral program I created a blog called “Adventures in Preaching.” I created 4 posts: https://adventuresinpreaching.blogspot.com The idea behind “Adventures in Preaching” was to reflect on the process of preaching and sermon preparation. When I returned from my residency to the parish, I did…
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The Glass Is Already Broken
Sometimes I wonder if I could be Buddhist. Not convert to Buddhism, but become a Christian who also practices Buddhism. One of my favorite courses at Harvard Divinity School was taught by Charles Hallisey, a Roman Catholic who had fallen in love with the study of Theravada Buddhism, and his love rubbed off on his…
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Everyone Is Religious
What is religion? I found myself thinking about this question today. It’s a big one, unless you already decided long ago what religion is and therefore you don’t have to spare it another thought. I’m not exactly sure yet how to organize my thoughts on the subject, so I’ll share some ideas that may or…
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Church Hopping
One of my goals while on sabbatical is to visit other worshiping communities. Today I attended Hessel Church, a non-denominational church on a country road south of Sebastopol. The pastor, Rich Cundall, met with me for breakfast about five years ago, shortly after I moved back to California. I grew up, and remain, a “liberal”…
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Never Nowhere, Now Somewhere, Always Everywhere
As a Christian, I am constantly trying to think through the contours of this faith I profess to live by. It seems that Christian beliefs are increasingly misunderstood and held to be authoritative by fewer and fewer people. What I find is that the more deeply one considers Christian beliefs, the more radical they appear…
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What Joan Told Me
I once had the distinct honor of introducing Joan Chittister before she gave a lecture. For those who don’t know her, Sister Chittister is a Benedictine nun, a fierce social justice warrior, and a prolific writer. Before the program began, I had about two minutes alone with her backstage. I’m not sure where it came…
Almost a Conversation 