On John and his specialness
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In celebrating the Feast of St. John, we are invited into an elaborate depiction of faith which combines multiple figures into one.
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In celebrating the Feast of St. John, we are invited into an elaborate depiction of faith which combines multiple figures into one.
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For a gospel passage that lays the foundation for some big tradition, shouldn’t we take the context more seriously?
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It is hard to square a posture that leans away from change when the gospel itself is fundamentally about change.
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A life less optional In last week’s gospel, Jesus refers to God’s command. It is a word that strikes my ear with great difficulty. I am thoroughly an American after all, and the idea of freedom is always central. It is also a word we associate with the military – in the form of commands…
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The mustard seed teaching isn’t a how-to. It’s a here’s-what-we’re-up-to. To understand the difference, we need to take a step back.
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What is a Christian? The short answer is that there isn’t one definition. Never has been. From the very beginning, Christians are a loose collection of people with overlapping theistic belief. Today, given our media coverage and infighting, that truth may be hard to see. Throughout history, we have tried to name common belief with…
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We are so much like the Pharisees. We really are. We focus on the rules, not their purpose or how they encourage us to build strong relationships with GOD, one another, and the wider community. That is their purpose: those relationships. The rules are supposed to lead us to GOD. But we rather stay where we’re at…
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One of the easiest fights in church is over worship music. Everyone has an opinion and feels comfortable sharing it. Another is liturgical style: how we worship and the tools we use in our worship. For centuries we heard snide remarks that “smells and bells” in church was “papish” and “Roman”, spitting these claims like…