The Impossible Possible
FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT
Prayer of the Day: Stir up your power, Lord Christ, and come. With your abundant grace and might, free us from the sin that hinders our faith, that eagerly we may receive your promises, for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 1:20.
The assertion that Jesus was “born of the virgin Mary,” has generated a great deal of controversy and consternation on many levels in recent decades, so much so that some Christian theologians and teachers have advocated abandoning it altogether. For example, the late Bishop John Shelby Spong declared in a lecture given in 2016 that the doctrine was “likely fictional and largely irrelevant.” The bishop’s focus was on ridding the church of “fundamentalism” which, in his view, had caused “a massive exodus of young people from the organized church into the secular city…” According to Rev. Spong, “Christianity needs to return to its Jewish roots.” That means ignoring parts of the gospel narrative, such as the “virgin birth,” which are gentile interpolations. See “John Shelby Spong Questions the Virgin Birth,” The Chautauquan, June 28, 2016.
I respectfully disagree with the bishop’s Jew/gentile dichotomy. Read more
What Does the Bible Really Say About Abortion?
It’s official. The Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade returning to the states full authority to regulate medical termination of pregnancies without regard to a women’s needs or desires. As a practical matter, this means the issue is no longer a mere culture war talking point. The extent to which women are entitled to determine the medical treatment surrounding their pregnancies will be a hotly contested issue in several states. As has been the case from the get go, religion figures heavily into the debate. Volumes have been written and I am sure more will be forthcoming about all the implications of this development. However, I am confining this discussion to the question posed in the title of my article, namely, what the Bible really says about abortion. As a disciple of Jesus, I want to make sure that if the Bible is to be dragged into this debate, people understand what it does and does not say. As a lawyer who took an oath to uphold the Constitution (back in the days when that actually meant something), I want us to be clear about what the issues actually are so that we do not clutter the airwaves, internet and barber shop with a lot of fruitless, ignorant chatter. One can only hope. So here goes.
In the strictest sense, the answer to the question posed is “nothing.” The Bible does not address abortion anywhere. Read more
Have I been Censored by FB?
Uncategorizedfacebook, life, Social Media, writing Edit
Here is what I know. About a week ago, I noticed a decrease in volume on my website. Wondering whether I had neglected or failed in my efforts to post my weekly articles to the Facebook pages on which I have participated for many years, I discovered that my posts for the last five weeks have been marked “pending.” I clicked on the link marked Learn more and found the following message:
“To help keep this group safe, admins review some posts before they’re visible to others. You’ll be notified when your post is published in the group.”
I found this highly suspect for two Facebook pages to which I belong captioned “ELCA Rostered Ministers” and “ELCA Uncensored.” ELCA Rostered Ministers states under its “About” heading, “Posts are not moderated in any way, shape or form after complaints over removal of sexist and racist posts. So just work it out amongst yourselves or just scroll past that which you don’t like.” ELCA uncensored gives notice to its members, “This is a group open to all current or former ELCA Clergy and seminarians. Canadians are welcome, too. Other countries as well. The idea is that you will not be censored here. Talk about what you want. You’re CLERGY, for Pete’s sake. Not small children who have to be supervised in a ‘sandbox.’” Thus, I find it highly unlikely that the administrators of these pages have been holding my posts hostage over a month reviewing them for dangerous content. Stranger still was the block placed on a photography page of which I am a member. All we ever do on this page is share photographs. I have shared pictures of birds, bugs and other such nature shots infrequently on this page, but I noticed that the one I shared about two weeks ago was “pending.” Again, the notice stated: “This review is for group safety and so admins can get to know participants. You can create up to 5 posts and comments while admin review is pending. We’ll let you know when admins complete their review and your content is published in the group.” To date, I have received neither notice nor freedom to post. Read more
Random Thoughts on The Memorial Service of Charlie Kirk
Uncategorizedcharlie-kirk, faith, god, jesus, politics Edit
My Grandfather used to tell a joke about a young woman sitting with her little boy at the funeral of her husband. The pastor began his sermon by pointing out what a faithful husband, loving parent and fine Christian the deceased husband had been for all his life. As he praised her late husband’s kindness, generosity and faithfulness, the woman turned to her son and whispered, “Honey, slip up there to the front of the church and take a peek into the casket. I just want to be sure it’s really your dad in there. I think we might be at the wrong funeral.”
There is an old Latin adage, De mortuis nil nisi bonum. Roughly translated, it means “about the dead nothing but good is said.” I concur generally with that sentiment. I have presided over more than a few funerals for people whose lives have been-let’s just say complicated. Though a funeral sermon is not a eulogy, it should be a word of grace for those who grieve. The good news is not good news if it does not intersect with the pain of those who loved the departed, in spite of whatever faults and injuries they may have inflicted. So I tend to lift up whatever positive aspects of a life that I can and speak to the power of God to redeem even lives that have gone off the rails. It does no good to dredge up the wrongs of one who is dead and no longer able to answer or make amends for the past.
The memorial service of Charlie Kirk, however, was more than a funeral. It was a televised canonization of Charlie Kirk as a martyr for and champion of conservative values and free speech. Read more
Dear American Children: Just say “No” to Books.
Uncategorizedbook-review, book-reviews, books, fiction, reading Edit
Kierkegaard’s Ghost
(News that’s fake, but credible)
Dear children:
Books are dangerous. They can make you sad. They can confuse you. Books can make you question the wisdom of your elders who love you and only want the best for you. That is why the adults in your life are busy removing books from your school libraries. We here at Kierkegaard’s Ghost know you understand that thinking is a dangerous activity and not something you should be doing by or for yourself at your tender age. We know you understand that your parents, your schools, your churches and your government know far better than you do what you should be reading and what you should be thinking about. That is why they are working so hard to rid the world of books and the harm they do. Nevertheless, in spite of all this hard work on behalf of those who love you, books remain a significant threat to your wellbeing. Books are still accessible to you in places like public libraries, book stores, online book sellers such as Amazon and at used book distributers like thriftbooks.com for reduced prices. You might even run across them in your parents’ personal library. Thus, to further protect you and help you avoid exposure to thoughts, ideas and information that should not be infecting your innocent minds, we are providing you with a list of the most dangerous books identified and banned in your schools. Read more
MAGA-It’s not Complicated-They’re Bullies Plain and Simple
UncategorizedDonald Trump, maga, news, politics, trump Edit
There is a cottage industry dedicated to discerning the just grievances that gave rise to the MAGA movement, the justified anger its proponents feel toward a government that failed them and why we “liberal elitist” snobs are to blame for their outrage because we are “out of touch” with their suffering. We need to stop our judging, criticizing and ridiculing. MAGA folk are just simple, sincere and patriotic Americans for whom the elusive American Dream has evaporated.
At the risk of being crude, I say bovine excrement. The MAGA folk are not simply misunderstood, and they are not all that hard to read. Everything you need to know about them was on display a decade ago when Donald Trump mocked and mimicked a disabled New York Times reporter at a rally in South Carolina-and the crowd howled with laughter. MAGA folk are bullies. Read more
Fable of the Pigsty
Once upon a time there was a pigsty on a large and prosperous farm. The pigs lived well, finding more than enough slops in their trough to satisfy their hunger. There were rumors, however, that ownership of the farm had changed hands. Changes were in the works. It was whispered among the animals that the farm was to be liquidated and the animals sold or slaughtered. The pigs shrugged. They were pragmatic creatures. Rumors are only rumors. Whatever else might be happening on the farm, the pigs were being well taken care of. Every morning the farm hands brought them fresh slops. Surly the owners had their best interests at heart. Why else would the pigs be so well fed and cared for? The sun was shining, the pigs were getting fatter and there were plenty of slops in their trough.
Then one day another rumor reached the pigsty. It was reported that the farm horses that had worked faithfully on the farm for decades were being sent to the glue factory. The pigs shrugged. This was no concern of theirs. Horses are not pigs after all. The sun was still shining and there were still plenty of slops in their trough. Read more
Christians Persecuted in America? Give me a Break!
President Donald J. Trump recently signed an Executive Order establishing a task force to end the “anti-Christian weaponization of government” and “unlawful conduct targeting Christians.” Evangelical Christians, it should be noted, have led the charge to dehumanize and deny medical treatment to transgender persons, gleefully advocated to deprive women access to life saving medical care and fought relentlessly to dismantle civil rights for minorities. Yet these bullies imagine that they are victims in need of government protection. I took this issue up with evangelical icon, Rev. Franklin Graham in an open letter seven years ago. The letter is obviously dated but the nonsensical claim of “persecution” is just as obviously as current as it is asinine. So I am re-blogging it once again.
Rev. Jeremiah Wright was Right
UncategorizedBible, christianity, faith, god, jesus Edit
For those of you who can still remember the election of 2008, one of the last in which we were assured that, whatever the outcome and however we might feel about it, there would be sanity in the Whitehouse, you will undoubtedly recall the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Rev. Wright is now, like me, a retired pastor. He was formerly the senior pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago and the pastor of then presidential candidate Barak Obama. Trinity is a predominantly African American congregation and the largest one in the United Church of Christ, a predominantly white protestant church. Wright gained national attention in the United States in March of 2008 after ABC News disclosed the following quote from a sermon he preached in 2003 entitled “Confusing God and Government.”
“No, no, no. Not ‘God Bless America’; God Damn America! That’s in the Bible, for killing innocent people. God Damn America for treating her citizen as less than human. God Damn America as long as she keeps trying to act like she is God and she is supreme!”
Back in the days when journalism was a profession and broadcast news was considered a public service rather than an entertainment cash cow, there would have been at least an attempt to place this quotation in its proper context. But ABC news understands that the American attention span is brief and that sensational bites of “breaking news” grab attention and drive up ratings. Consequently, unless you did some investigative work of your own, you might have concluded, as Obama’s opponents clearly hoped you would, that Wright was simply on an anti-American rant and that Barak Obama’s membership at Trinity was proof that he shared Wright’s unpatriotic sentiments. If you have not already done so, I invite you to read the entire sermon of Jeremiah Wright. Below are my own observations. Read more
Killing of Brian Thompson and Insurance Rage
Let me start with the obvious. The murder of United Healthcare’s CEO, Brian Thompson, on a sidewalk in New York City was a brutal, lawless and cowardly act. It cannot be justified under any rationale and those on social media and other forums suggesting otherwise are just plain wrong. Furthermore, as a disciple of Jesus and a lifelong pacifist, I hold that taking the life of a human being can never be morally justified. God alone gives life and God alone is entitled to take it when and under whatever circumstances God will. Every human life is a work in progress. As long as life and breath remain with an individual, there is potential for that individual’s repentance, redemption and transformation. Murder deprives God of the opportunity to work the miracle of repentance, forgiveness and amendment of life. I am therefore saddened by the killing of Brian Thompson. My heart goes out to his family and all who loved him.[1]
That said, I believe we need to look beyond Brian Thompson’s murder and try to understand the explosive anger it has unleashed over the internet, in print and on the street. Read more
Peter's Outer Cape Portico 