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Reflections on Jesus, the Pharisees and the nuanced law...
Published on 2011-06-28 05:13:00
I've been thinking a lot about the pharisees. We talk about how hard Jesus was on them, but we don't fully understand who they were or what they were trying to accomplish. We are rarely taught that they were actually holy men who loved God and desper > read more
Choosing The Journey That Gives Life
Published on 2011-06-09 12:06:00
At the core of my spiritual life is one important belief: I get to choose whether or not I'd like to be "religious." Why is the issue of religious choice so important to me? Well, it is because in my opinion, there are very few things along life's jo > read more
Dear Pastors: Your Parishioners Don't Need "Protection" from History...
Published on 2011-06-01 13:19:00
I've finally finished my first year of seminary. During both of the previous two semesters, I've noticed a disturbing trend in the discussions among the future ministers on our campus. I've heard a lot of students describe th > read more
A brilliant answer to the question: "Which God Are You Talking About?"
Published on 2011-05-26 12:56:00
I was browsing the articles on CNN's website when I came across a story about statements made by Oprah Winfrey about God during her last episode. Her New Age language has made quite a stink over the years with Christians who demand to know exactly wh > read more
Orthodox Jews Saying, "It Gets Better."
Published on 2011-05-24 14:40:00
Powerful words from the hearts of Orthodox Jewish men. Absolutely powerful. > read more
Video: Karen Armstrong on theology...
Published on 2011-05-23 09:20:00
Some Monday morning wisdom: "Good theology should help you live in the moments of silence that exist before our words begin..." -- Karen ArmstrongIn part two, Armstrong explains why religion is not about what you "believe." > read more
Reflections On The Doomsday that Never Came
Published on 2011-05-22 09:39:00
Today is Sunday, May 22, 2011-- one day after what many believed would be "Judgement Day" for the entire world. A man named Harold Camping will go down in history as yet another failed Christian prophet. His followers will return to their regular liv > read more
When Hope Overpowers Belief...
Published on 2011-05-17 08:56:00
I had a conversation yesterday with someone that shifted my understanding of "hope." It occurred at the Unconference in the dining area as the afternoon was coming to a close. I had just finished my lunch when a Mennonite minister sat down next to me > read more
Gearing up for UNCO 2011!
Published on 2011-05-14 16:22:00
Tomorrow, I'll be leaving DC to attend the 2011 Unconference in Stony Point, NY. You may be wondering, "What in the world does she mean by Unconference?" The purpose of this event is to gather a group of people in a specific place and allow the discu > read more
What Happened When I Let Go...
Published on 2011-05-10 11:54:00
This is my response to the May Synchroblog question: "Life Unfurling""...whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." --Jesus, Matthew 16:25 These words hit me like a ton of bricks one day. While reading them, I knew that Jesus was tellin > read more
Dialogue With a Reader: Liberal Christians and Selective Bible Usage
Published on 2011-05-08 01:01:00
One of my readers (David S.) raised several important observations during an email discussion about how liberal Christians selectively use the Bible. He asked me to share my position on how the Bible is used by liberal Christians, and a perspective o > read more
Bin Laden: I feel what I feel, and that's okay.
Published on 2011-05-02 21:28:00
There's a lot of chatter online from both conservative and liberal Christians concerning "how we should feel" about the death of Osama Bin Laden. A Google search of related terms already reveals a slew of articles on well-read websites that tell us t > read more
I Preached My First Sermon Today: "In Defense of Thomas"
Published on 2011-05-01 15:29:00
Several weeks ago, the pastor of Palisades Community Church (the interdenominational/interfaith church of which I'm a member) asked me if I'd like to preach. It wasn't his first time asking. In fact, I'd been saying "NO" to his requests for several m > read more
"Jesusism"... (Have you heard of this?)
Published on 2011-04-25 06:06:00
I don't know why I was surfing Wikipedia at 4:30 this morning... Okay--- Yes, I do. Someone pulled the fire alarm in my building and I needed something to do while we waited for the fire department. They never came. But that's not the point. I found > read more
Resurrection: A Scandalous Reading of a Scandalous Gospel
Published on 2011-04-22 10:40:00
This Sunday, millions of churches all over the country will celebrate Easter, or as we called it in my Evangelical days, "Resurrection Sunday." The sermons preached in those churches will recount the story of how Jesus died a brutal death at the hand > read more
Adam & Eve: Here's how I read the story...
Published on 2011-04-19 00:46:00
I've spent a lot of time laying out what I don't believe about Adam and Eve... I've written about our historically sexist interpretations of their relationship. I've taken pot shots at penal substitutionary atonement... I've even posted classic satir > read more
My Blog's One Year Anniversary... An Open Thank-You Letter.
Published on 2011-04-16 23:23:00
One year ago this weekend, I decided to launch a blog about God, theology and Emergent Christianity. I needed to work through my list of "believes" and "don't-believes", and felt that writing would offer the means of organization necessary to make se > read more
Seven Reasons Why I Don't Believe In Hell
Published on 2011-04-15 11:40:00
I find that people are utterly puzzled when I tell them I don't believe in hell, and over the past few weeks it has become increasingly evident to me that I need to flesh out my position on this topic. So if you'll indulge me for > read more
"Eternal Life": What If Jesus Wasn't Talking About Heaven or Hell?
Published on 2011-04-06 20:30:00
In observance of the Lenten season, I've been reading the Gospel of John in my New Interpreter's Study Bible. One of the things that has struck me are the repeated disclaimers about what "eternal life" would have meant to the original hearers of > read more
Rethinking a Terrible Text: "I do not permit a woman to assume authority over a man..."
Published on 2011-03-31 11:05:00
This morning, my Epistles professor (a woman) raised a few important points about 2 Timothy 2:11-15 which says: "A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must > read more
Some Friday Afternoon Zen: "I love you and Buddha, too..." (video/song)
Published on 2011-03-25 13:51:00
Happy Friday! The composer says this song "feels good" because it's in the key of b-flat, but I'm pretty sure it's the amazing lyrics that are making me smile.:Why do some people sayThat there is just one wayTo love You God and come to You?We are all > read more
Reflections After Visiting a Hindu Temple: "It is not that God is 'one'. It is that there is only God." (Part 1)
Published on 2011-03-22 17:48:00
Symbol for Hinduism."We will have dinner there, but the food has not been sacrificed to idols." My professor was serious. No, we weren't entering a time warp to visit 1st century Corinth. We were traveling as a group to visit one of largest Hindu tem > read more
Reflections After Visiting a Hindu Temple: "It is not that God is 'one'. It is that there is only God." (Part 2)
Published on 2011-03-22 17:47:00
Similar temple carvings in white stone.When describing the worship space we visited, the word temple is a grave understatement in my opinion. The structure was more like a palace... The building itself, which was easily three stories high, was a pict > read more
Yahweh may have an ex-wife. Her name is Asherah. Yes, you read that correctly.
Published on 2011-03-18 17:03:00
MSNBC has published a story about the recent research of a Bible scholar who argues that Yahweh was married to the mysterious "Ashera" of the Old Testament."After years of research specializing in the history and religion of Israel, however, I have > read more
Video-- Pearson on the hell kerfuffle: "We should reconsider what we think and why we think it..."
Published on 2011-03-16 19:04:00
Remember this guy? He pastored a megachurch with thousands of members until he was declared a heretic for daring to preach that hell doesn't exist. He lost his ministry, but gained a new vision of what it means to bring the Kingdom to Earth. Today, h > read more
What I Believe: The God of Limitless Love
Published on 2011-03-14 18:27:00
Years ago, I was standing on a street corner just as the seasons were changing from autumn to winter. The sky was gray and it was freezing outside. There was a homeless man standing on the sidewalk in just a pair of blue jeans, gym shoes and a vest. > read more
Let's Talk About Sex(ism) Baby: Genesis, Eve and Adam through Feminist Eyes
Published on 2011-03-12 10:06:00
In light of a recent online discussion about gender roles in Christianity, I'd like to share an alternative understanding of the relationship between Adam and Eve.The most common interpretation of Genesis 2-3 has been skewed to depict Eve as a gullib > read more
Video: What are Lent and Ash Wednesday?
Published on 2011-03-09 14:02:00
Informative video found on CNN's website answers the question: "What are Lent and Ash Wednesday?" > read more
"Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace"... Jesus?
Published on 2011-03-04 21:51:00
Last week, I wrote about how my Hebrew Bible professor's lecture on the Book of Isaiah caused an uproar in our class. She boldly told a room full of young, mostly conservative seminarians that the Immanuel prophecy should not be interpreted as a fore > read more
A few thoughts on hell and power
Published on 2011-03-01 22:21:00
"Behold, I give unto you power..." I often mull over Luke 10:19 and wonder if Christians truly understand how much power we wield in the world-- specifically of the psychological and sociological variety.I've been particularly attentive to how Christ > read more
Rob Bell is ticking people off again...
Published on 2011-02-26 19:17:00
Rob Bell has released a video trailer for a new book that seems to promote Universalism. (I've embedded the video below.) It's a pretty tantalizing introduction to what will probably be one of the most controversial Christian books of the year. For t > read more
Today was "Isaiah-Wasn't-Prophesying-About-Mary" Day in my class. It wasn't pretty.
Published on 2011-02-24 16:08:00
What do you get when you mix one liberal Hebrew Bible professor, 75 conservative Evangelical seminarians, and the original Hebrew translation of Isaiah 7:14? The answer: Pure pandemonium. Today, my professor began her exploration of the book of Isaia > read more
On Prayer & Proselytizing in Crisis: What's really more important?
Published on 2011-02-21 15:17:00
I'll be very honest and say that the mystery of prayer is a hard topic for me. It's hard for me to fully accept a god-concept that makes God wholly concerned with the minutiae of my day while other people live below poverty level just a few miles awa > read more
Peanuts & Snoopy on theology: A picture is truly worth a thousand words...
Published on 2011-02-20 22:03:00
I've described theology as our attempt to describe something that is far too transcendent for words. My old friend Snoopy seems to agree with me. Love this little cartoon. (Cross-tumbld on FaithPodge.) > read more
Comic Relief: "Mr. Deity & The Baptist" (video)
Published on 2011-02-17 22:37:00
In this video, Mr. Deity and his helper have a rather odd conversation with a certain guy named "John." I also highly recommend the second video. I laughed like crazy at these. Hope you do, too. :) > read more
Reflections after Observing Prayer at a Mosque: "Whose spirit was in the room?" (part 1)
Published on 2011-02-12 01:00:00
"Ladies, you will be asked to cover your hair with a scarf, and you'll be required to sit separately from the men. You will all be required to take off your shoes before entering the prayer space." These were the instructions given to my World Religi > read more
Reflections after Observing Prayer at a Mosque: "Whose spirit was in the room?" (part 2)
Published on 2011-02-12 00:59:00
Prayer ended, and we were dismissed for the night. When class met again, our professor stood at the front of the room with his hands tightly clasped. He was clearly attempting to find the right words to say... words that would draw us out of our comf > read more
A few thoughts on ancient Rome, theology and missing the big picture...
Published on 2011-02-03 11:19:00
I spend a lot of time thinking about the cultural and political influences that shaped the minds and perspectives of those who wrote the Bible. Paul was certainly not exempt from those influences. We're still reading Paul's letters today, but we rare > read more
Peter Rollins on Identity (Amazing Video)
Published on 2011-01-26 13:03:00
This video is a photo montage set music and laced with excerpts from Peter Rollins' interview last summer with Rob Bell. Rollins shared this video on his website with the question: "Am I Who I Think I Am?" The message and pictures are really powerful > read more
Karen Armstrong explains what "Faith" and "Belief" meant in the ancient Greek world...
Published on 2011-01-25 11:37:00
What if I told you that Jesus wasn't asking the disciples to "believe" anything... at least not in the sense that you or I understand the concept of "belief"? What if mental assent isn't the point of true faith at all? Check out this great video on t > read more
Stephen Prothero's argument against New Atheism's demonization of all religions...
Published on 2011-01-20 11:14:00
I'm reading "God Is Not One" by Stephen Prothero for my World Religions class, and I've come across a quote that I really want to share. It's found in the book's introduction, and it's written about our tendency to "load all religions into one boat." > read more
A Nation of Overcomers
Published on 2011-01-17 13:02:00
Today, the reflection in my heart is that America is a nation of overcomers. Our strength is found in our ability to help the people who are most different from us overcome their own circumstances. In our struggle to overcome, we find strength, unity > read more
Pictures from American University's Counter-Protest of Westboro Baptist Church...
Published on 2011-01-14 17:24:00
Westboro Baptist Church came to Washington, DC today to demonstrate on American University's campus. Some of the students from AU and Wesley Theological Seminary organized a peaceful counter-demonstration to tell Westboro that we don't support their > read more
My Problem With The "Devil" and "Evil"
Published on 2011-01-12 12:06:00
I wanted to wait a few days before posting this because I needed to gather my thoughts on the topic. Now that I've had some time to breathe, I'd like to share a few thoughts on "evil" as it relates to the shooting in Arizona.This Saturday night, I wa > read more
Westboro Baptist Church Coming to AU: Will You Attend the Counterprotest?
Published on 2011-01-08 12:44:00
On January 14, 2011, Westboro Baptist Church will bring its "God-Hates-Gays" message to American University. If you're not familiar with WBC, they're the people who protest the funerals of fallen soldiers and 9/11 responders. They believe that these > read more
You say tomato... I say discussions about the Bible are exhausting. Let's call the whole thing off.
Published on 2011-01-04 19:55:00
I was sleeping soundly when the phone rang. It was my mom, and she was a bit rattled after a chat with my aunt. They are both Christians, but from two radically different traditions. "I just finished an argument with your aunt about ______. She said > read more
New Year's Resolutions...
Published on 2010-12-31 04:04:00
I don't usually make New Year's resolutions, but I felt compelled to give it a try this year. Here are a few of the changes that I plan to make in 2011...1. I'm going to walk a little more slowly, breathe a little more deeply, and remember that every > read more