tradition
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Command
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1 min read
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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We all crave understanding and purpose.
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6 min read
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?
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5 min read
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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Breaking the rules with Jesus
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8 min read
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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Why Style is Not the Problem with Church
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2 min read
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…
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When the Leader Is Not the Problem
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4 min read
We are eager in the U.S. to blame our leaders and hold them responsible for our dysfunction. I am now realizing that this often should not be the case. Or, to be honest, it should rarely be the case. A friend reminded me in the spring as I spoke to him about some structural plans…