Chaplain Mike
http://chaplainmmercer.blogspot.com/
Hi everyone. Thanks for welcoming me. This is Chaplain Mike. I grew up in a midwestern United Methodist family, had a conversion experience in a S Baptist church as a teenager, went to Lancaster (PA) Bible College, pastored in small Baptist and nondenominational churches from 1978-2005, and have been serving as a hospice chaplain in Indianapolis since then. I went to seminary at Trinity (Deerfield). My ordination comes from a local church body. I have a wife of 30 years, four children, and two grandchildren. Since leaving parish ministry I have been grappling with ecclesiology. The result at this point is that I am a post-evangelical, attending an ELCA Lutheran church because of the liturgy and Lutheran theology. The description on my blog says I'm a "sinner saved by god's grace in jesus, hospice chaplain, husband, dad, grandpa, bible student, lover of music and books, cubs fan, would-be writer, partaker of word and sacrament, simul iustus et peccator". I have two blogs, one more general discussion and the other an in-depth Bible study. I came to BHT by way of Internet Monk. Looking forward to getting to know all of you.
Chaplain Mike writes:
Congratulations to President Obama. Now, as the coach used to say: It’s time to get to work. Play hard. Do your best. Play as a team.
Chaplain Mike writes:
But John, even if the action is “indirect” it still “causes” the death of the fetus, and the one who removes the tube performs the action that leads to its death. No amount of trying to distance the surgeon from direct contact with the fetus changes a thing, as far as I can see. That’s [...]
Chaplain Mike writes:
The point of the Catholic position is that nothing must be done DIRECTLY to the fetus to cause its death. That is viewed as immoral. However, if the fetus dies INDIRECTLY because something else is done to save the mother’s life, that is sad, but morally acceptable. Like I said, I think it’s a distinction [...]
Chaplain Mike writes:
Is this going too far with “pro-life”?
I have an ethics question for the Tavern to discuss. A woman I know recently had an ectopic pregnancy. That’s a pregnancy that is “out of place” — usually the fertilized egg does not make it all the way to the uterus but attaches to the fallopian tube. Hence they are often called “tubal pregnancies.” [...]
Chaplain Mike writes:
Thanks to you folks for your perseverance in getting the site going again. This time the crash took place at a particularly dicey time, as both Jeff and I were on the road and couldn’t tell you we didn’t know what the hell to do. As a result, you had to wait for our email [...]
Chaplain Mike writes:
Internet Monk’s take on Schaeffer and other remembrances of Colson UPDATE: Schaeffer defends his piece in the comments: “My take on Colson’s life and work was in the context of the politics Colson chose to follow. I wrote nothing about Colson that I had not said to his face (over the phone and in person [...]
Chaplain Mike writes:
John H, thanks for drawing our attention to this. I WILL be responding to Wilson on Internet Monk. This was one of the more offensive, unnecessary articles I’ve read in a long time. These purveyors of “masculine Christianity” need to grow up.
Chaplain Mike writes:
Tributes for Michael
If any of you BHT folks would like to contribute a paragraph or two in tribute to Michael Spencer, I invite you to share in a post we will run Thursday on Internet Monk. Thursday is the second anniversary of Michael’s death. You can send your contribution to me at chaplainmike333@gmail.com. We’re having several folks [...]
Chaplain Mike writes:
Anniversary
Reminder: This Thursday, April 5, is the second anniversary of Michael Spencer’s death.
Chaplain Mike writes:
Jaredd, I’m so sorry. Prayers and more prayers.
