History

  • A Christmas Message

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    Many centuries ago, communities would gather to pray. They observed that the days grew shorter; the night was winning. Perhaps soon the day would disappear entirely. So people gathered during these long nights and they would pray for the light to come again. Long before Christ entered the world, these ancient people gathered because their…

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  • What Exactly Are We Never Forgetting?

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    You’ve heard the calls to #NeverForget. Tragedy and trauma bring out sudden calls for solidarity and collective memory. As if time whisks away such frightening moments like a vapor. A morning mist dried by the first direct rays of sun. That this is in direct contrast to our society’s instruction in the midst of personal tragedy is…

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  • On History, Racism, and Sitting Down For Equality

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    The critical moment in Iron Jawed Angels comes with war. Alice Paul and a league of women stand in front of the White House daily, compelling President Woodrow Wilson to recognize that it is long past time for women’s suffrage. They stand, protesting with the president’s own words, extolling eloquently on human dignity. So that he’ll hear them anew and not…

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  • I’m Reevaluating the Cross

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    After listening to Tony Jones speak about his new book, Did God Kill Jesus on Homebrewed Christianity, I found myself being pushed into new territory in my faith. Partly because I probably am one of those progressive Christians who wants to sanitize the faith and take the blood out of it. I think there’s more…

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  • Gathered by the Spirit

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    Finding and reclaiming our common purpose in Terre Haute a Homily for a special evensong  |  Text: 1 Peter 2:1-9 [Last night St. Stephen’s gathered for evensong with our neighbors from St. George’s in West Terre Haute. It was a wonderful gathering of mutual celebration and commitment that marks a big anniversary for the Episcopal Church’s…

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  • Just Cut the Church Programs

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    For several weeks I’ve been writing about engaging different groups in church.  Then I wrote about dealing with time constraints and what it means for planning.  Now, I am making a personal appeal for an entirely different approach: it is time to get rid of our programs. As Phyllis Tickle adeptly outlines in The Great…

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  • Bad Science, Infant Cereal, and Church Tradition

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    In her post, “Why Ditch The Infant Cereals?” KristenM at Food Renegade makes a compelling case for not giving cereal to babies before they are one year-old.  The case is made of two important arguments: 1) What is developmentally and biologically appropriate and 2) There is no “traditional” basis for it. Against these two arguments,…

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