My friends have been writing about a nascent movement called #DecolonizeLutheranism, and Lenny Duncan has written a great deal lately about James Cone’s critique of the reformation theologians’ support of power over and against the oppressed, citing, in particular Luther’s anti-Semitism and his support of the princes against the Peasant’s Revolt. Cone himself claims that […]
“You can ask the bishops anything, but we thought tonight we would talk about race…” This week, I ventured to my first year of First Call Theological Education, a required continuing education for new pastors in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. As someone who isn’t particularly interested in the “professional” aspect of our work, […]
June 28th, 2015 – The Feast of St. Paul & St. Peter – Acts 7:53-8:3 God, you have a word for us. Send your Spirit to soften our hearts and open our ears to hear that word. Amen. If I’m honest with you, it’s been an exhausting two weeks. Just on Friday, I witnessed the […]
“Everyone’s got an opinion these days about why people are leaving the church. Some wish to solve the problem by making Christianity a little more palatable – you know, cut our all the weird, mystical stuff about sin, demons, and death and resurrection, and replace it with self-help books or politics or fancy theological systems […]
I was 19, and riding in a van with my friend and pastor-at-the-time Jay. We were talking about a bunch of different things, and he said something I’ll never forget: “What if we’re wrong? How do we live as if we might be wrong, and still hold on to what we think or believe. How […]
Maundy Thursday – John 13 – Year B – 2015 “Clean Hearts, Full of Grace, Must Love.” God, you have a word for us, send your Holy Spirit to soften our hearts and open our ears to hear that word. Amen. I have to admit that it’s been a difficult week to be a human […]
The Transfiguration of Our Lord – Year B – Feb 15, 2015 Let us pray, God, you have a word for us. Send your Spirit to open our ears and soften our hearts, so that we may hear that word. Amen. One of the biggest stories this year in sports has been the story of […]
The news these days are exhausting. It seems like every day brings a new crisis to the forefront, a crisis du jour if you will. Most of this year, it has been the frightening terrorism of ISIS. Last week, we experienced a blizzard of unseen proportions, dropping nearly three feet of snow outside our apartment […]
Intro I want to say something about our letter from Paul this morning. This text has been used as a bludgeon against many people, to fill them with shame and despair. On behalf of the Church, I want to apologize for that behavior. It is hurt far too many people. But I want to take […]
I don’t want to preach a long sermon this morning, because I want this Gospel to be in tension with the songs we sing. I want that to do most of the preaching, but I think there is something here for us on this first Sunday after Christmas. You might be surprised to hear such […]