Category: Congregation
Dare to Ask Questions: The (Occasionally Intrusive) Ministry of Curiosity
The story of Jesus healing a lame man in John 5:1-15 is repeated in church sanctuaries throughout the world. The setup reads like so many others: Jesus comes across an invalid. I would think Jesus, wh... Read More
Landscapes or Sandscapes? New Atheist Grounds for Morality
Atheist lauders and pursuers of truth, integrity, and beauty can be none too careful. They might provoke or experience longings for the fountain of all Beauty, Goodness, and Truth. ... Read More
Vote for Jesus! On politics, pulpits, and public theology
Politicking. It’s a dangerous game to play. The political arena is a nasty space in the quest for votes and power, with much weeping and gnashing of teeth. Backbiting, name calling, cutting an... Read More
The Value of Discomfort: Why I won’t make peace with my Parsha
I have encountered many mitigating interpretations of the most painful texts in my Torah portion (Lev. 18:22 and 20:13), some more rigorous and thoughtful than others. However, academically and religi... Read More
Of Mormons, Baptists, and Liberty of Conscience
On 7 October, Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, was speaking to reporters outside the Values Voter Summit in Washington, DC, where he had just introduced Republican presidenti... Read More
Sukkot, the Feast of Booths
On the fifteenth of Tishrei, we begin the seven day observance of Sukkot or the Feast of Booths. The mood and character of Sukkot is starkly and dramatically different from that of the Days of Awe. In... Read More
Assert Your Authority
If on Rosh HaShanah we gain a picture of what can happen when we submit blindly to authority, Yom Kippur is our opportunity to choose another path.... Read More
Some Thoughts As We Approach Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement, is the holiest day on the Jewish calendar. Yom Kippur is one of the most widely observed of Jewish holidays, marked by a solemn, 25-hour fast and abstinence from w... Read More