Be the Change

 

We participated in a polite act of revolution this morning. Mary and I attended the “illegal” ordination of a woman as a Catholic priest. She’s our neighbor so we would be disposed to be nice about it, but more importantly, we wholeheartedly believe in the rightness of the act. God blessed it and approves, even if the church can’t get there yet.

Gay Marriage Is Not Against Biblical Authority

I wish I could have been as articulate as Kevin Daugherty during the thousands of arguments I’ve been in, supporting these views in opposition to others relying on scripture to justify oppression.

The Definitive List of 2014’s Attacks on Christianity Which, Um, Aren’t That at All.

This made me laugh.

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1. Darren Aronofsky’s Noah.

Surely Aronofsky’s adaptation of Israel’s adaptation of Babylon’s adaptation of a great flood story is an affront to God.

2. Hobby Lobby’s insurance requirements.

Because Jesus said, “requiring companies to provide insurance for employees and their contraceptive needs is an abomination.”

3. Evolution.

Just look into the eyes of evolution’s harbinger, Bill Nye the Science Guy, and tell me you don’t see pure evil.

4. Gay people.

Everyone knows same sex attraction is a plot of the devil to thwart humanity’s desperately needed population boom.

5. World Vision’s decision to hire gay people.

Which it then reversed after “defenders of the faith” threatened to take food out of the mouths of its babes. 

6. Marijuana legalization.

“Eat whatever is sold in the meat market… ‘for the earth and its fullness are the Lord’s’… why should I be denounced because of that for which I give thanks? So…

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Where There is Charity

Our bodies are instruments, the first ones that were ever played.  Rhythm comes from our awareness of the beat of our hearts.  Melody is the practiced pattern of chosen pitches, but it originates in the verbal interactions between parents and children.  Our baby squeals reached higher and higher pitches.  It gave us delight.  Our parents lulled us to sleep using peaceful vocal tones.

Here’s another example of a song that has managed the trick of time-travel.  Many of you just heard a bit of it last Friday, but didn’t know how ancient it was.  I’ll show you the trail from long, long ago.

As it Appears

My pastor during childhood was a man called Father Elmer.  Toward the end of winter he visited the Sunday school classes to teach the children something about the concept of resurrection.  Little kids aren’t interested or equipped to analyze holy texts.  We wanted to know how Jesus could die, but not stay dead.

What if There Isn’t?

TIME Magazine wimped out.  On the cover was the provocative question “What if There’s no Hell?”  The article inside hardly dealt with the question.

Free Yourself

When someone with more orthodox views about religion calls me a “Cafeteria Christian” I don’t take it as an insult.  It’s supposed to be a put-down to suggest that I pick and choose what I like about Christianity and accept that, and don’t buy other parts of it.

Adventures in Woo-Woo (Pt.2)

One True Reading

When deciding whether or not to undergo a medical procedure there’s a guideline used called “risk vs. benefit”.  Every procedure has risks, but if the potential benefits heavily outweigh them your doctor will advise you of the situation and recommend you accept the risk and consent to the procedure.  Another way of looking at it would be “upside vs. downside”.  In my experience, the biggest problem I encountered in exploring the nature and character of the unseen world was that it takes a ridiculous amount of time sorting out and throwing away the nonsense and non-useful results in order to gain a small nugget of valid information.

St. Patrick Begat WordPress?

Patricius was born in a part of Britain under Roman rule in the year 387.  His grandfather was a priest, and his father a deacon.  His home was near enough to the coast that when pirate raiders came they took him for a slave.  He was in his teens.  He was taken to Ireland

Open Arms

These are dollies.  More than a hundred will be heading to a tent-city of 60,000 in Haiti next week.  There are a lot of kids there who have lost more than their dollies, so the folks at church made something for them to hold on to.