Matthew: That was truly awkward and bizarre. Wow. I did appreciate Piper’s humble spirit through it all.

Or is this just a way to try to silence voices that we don’t want to hear? I chuckled when reading this. If people are trying to silence Rob Bell, they suck at it. On the other hand, I’m not convinced that a ton of people outside of Christendom care all that much about his [...]

It’s Cathy and GARY, not Cathy and MARY…

We finally understand there’s really nothing wrong with a man who so desperately hates his body that he cuts off his penis I feel like Galatians 5:12 should be cited here somewhere… I made it about halfway through the Bell article before work interrupted me. I liked this quote (and it made me uneasy). If [...]

John – I think that cremation is not the cause, but rather a symptom of a growing inability to deal with death or to grieve in healthy ways. Sometimes I think about the biblical prescriptions for mourning and find them refreshing. Things like wearing sack cloth, tearing your garment, having a set apart period of [...]

Speaking of music used prior to torture…

I’ve noticed it’s impossible for a republican candidate to have a “theme song” that isn’t Hank Williams Jr. or some other x-treme country music. They always get asked by the other artists to cease and desist. Which makes me chuckle, but really isn’t fair, because the democrats could basically have any band come out and [...]

Chris – if you really do want to attend a liturgical Ash Wednesday service, but are a bit scared off by the unfamiliarity, here is a method I can almost guarantee should work. Go to your local big city Episcopalian Ash Wednesday service. Find a friendly looking older lady. Sit by her and let her [...]

So, do you guys do like a Pope pool around here? Get the top candidates and we each get to pick one or something? We could also do mock headlines for the election of the new pope… Also, not sure if you have done this sort of thing before, but I’m curious. How many of [...]

I guess I think of things like fear and guilt – extrinsic motivators for sure – as very basic, low level components to moral development and formation. They can be useful not only in creating ‘good little moralists’ (for who wants a ‘bad little moralist’?) but in protecting us from ourselves. This is, as Jeremiah [...]

And while I’m at it…

Just another thought. I was praying through my prayer book today, and as a part of that read Psalm 51. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. Restore [...]

An outsider

Is how I feel in some of these conversations. I’m not complaining. It’s interesting. Perhaps I’m just in the mainline north, or maybe I’m clueless (which has happened before). I would not name “slut shaming” as an issue on our radar here. That’s not to say that there is no shaming going on or that [...]