Drew Downs

Make a New Normal

Religion and Spirituality

  • Of course the teens should occupy the church; but not just teens.  Us!  We should occupy the church!  We should demand a better church!  We should lay claim to our leadership of an institution that today only benefits some! Brian Kirk asks in a column for Patheos: “Should we help teens occupy the church?” which…

  • Now renegades are the people with their own philosophies They change the course of history Everyday people like you and me We’re the renegades we’re the people With our own philosophies We change the course of history Everyday people like you and me As I said in my homily yesterday, the stuff that got Jesus…

  • [Over on Patheos, they are doing a great series on the future of Seminary education.  I haven’t read it all, and nobody asked me for advice, but I thought I’d throw in at least a couple of cents.  Kurt Willems nails the economic burden and Tony Jones makes a compelling case for the very tools of…

  • You’ve no doubt heard this encouragement: everything in moderation.  This is especially attractive in the church, where the every “thing” in question is likely to be that assorted list of “sins” that you just can’t help yourself with.  That list has tough stuff on it, but also seemingly small things: alcohol smoking dancing   (which…

  • Over at The Lead on Episcopal Cafe…

  • [I have written several pieces on change and encourage you to find links to them here.] There is something startling about a Christian that doesn’t like change.  We have come to see our faith traditions as monolithic and unchanging.  We look back through our lives and we such static behavior coming from Christianity.  We are used to…