Category: Challenges
Civil Religion and The Powers That Be
Popularly known as the “Muslim Gandhi,” Abdul Ghaffar Khan (1890-1988) led hundreds of thousands of Pashtuns in nonviolent resistance to the oppressive British colonizers in India, suffering great... Read More
Why I am ashamed to be a United Methodist.
First let me make something perfectly clear — I love my denomination. The United Methodist Church‘s theology is historically grounded in a movement attentive to the holistic character of h... Read More
Lutheranism Without the Potluck
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and I are suffering a spiritual identity crisis brought on by the death of a culture-based practice of Lutheranism. The practice of church has been d... Read More
Resistance Is Not Futile
I’m emboldened to resist These pleas to desist To a mindless assimilation Sans critical examination Of mythic cyborg-like notions Laced with spiritual potions A “We” with no “I” denti... Read More
Christians in the Sukkah
Have you ever heard the expression, “You’re in my personal space?” As Americans, we love our space. During the frontier days, barb wire delineated my space from your space. Today, elongated “p... Read More
Blood, Guts, and Getting Over Humps
How can we reframe religious and spiritual language so it can be used to give voice to the seekers, the marginalized, the doubters, the broke, those in need of transformation, and those in need of ins... Read More
The path of no more resistance
For years I was both drawn toward and resistant to the notion of seminary. I was resistant because, in my mind, seminary was something that led absolutely and necessarily to ministry in the church (Ch... Read More
@siemprechipil
By way of introduction, I share a story of my formation. In May of 2001 I began a six month trip to Central America. I wanted to learn Spanish and immerse myself in another culture. I went to learn ... Read More