Tattooed man praying

Common Ground, Holy Ground

Quite often, when someone finds out exactly what it is that I believe as a Christian, the question that many of them (mostly those who seem to have some issues with the idea of Christianity or spirituality of any kind in general) is, “Why even

Tattooed man praying

Our Way Home

In the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community today, we sense, increasingly, that we have lost our way. We feel less of a sense of unity with one another. We bicker not only over big issues, but about matters we ourselves sense, with nagging frustration,

Tattooed man praying

Reclaiming Our Spiritual Center

Revive us again; Fill each heart with thy love; May each soul be rekindled with fire from above. — Revive Us Again (William P. MacKay and John J. Husband) Any attempt to transform a social system without addressing both its spirituality and its outer forms

Glasses resting on Bible

Lifting the Veil

Metropolitan Community Church of Columbia, S.C. Readings for Transfiguration Sunday (Last Sunday before Lent): 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2, Luke 9:28-43 When I was growing up in the Southern Baptist church, there were two words that I had never thought to put together – “church” and “calendar.”

Glasses resting on Bible

The Miracle of Being Worthy

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Chatham, N.J.  Readings for the Fifth Sunday after Epiphany: Isaiah 6:1-8, Psalm 138, 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, Luke 5:1-11 There are miracles and then there are miracles. In this passage, the one that is the most obvious is the great catch of

Wedding rings on dictionary

To My Family

Mom and I had an interesting conversation recently. We were discussing my penchant, from childhood, to be a contrarian. I told her that one of my favorite shirts as a kid was a sweatshirt with a big yellow arrow on it pointing off to one

Child laughing holding Bible

The Lying Contest

A clergyman was walking down the street when he came upon a group of about a dozen boys, all of them between 10 and 12 years of age. The group surrounded a dog. Concerned lest the boys were hurting the dog, he went over and

Child laughing holding Bible

How Faiths Fight Fires

Recently, just as an ecumenical gathering was commencing, a secretary rushed in shouting, “The building is on fire!” The Methodists gathered in a corner and prayed. The Baptists cried, “Where is the water?” The Quakers quietly praised God for blessings that fire brings. The Lutherans

Man flipping the page of a Bible

The Power and Authority of Scripture

“God said it, I believe it and THAT settles it!” Seeing that expression on a bumper sticker or church billboard always gives me a chill. What is often meant by this expression is that if it is in the Bible – I automatically believe it,

Man flipping the page of a Bible

Queering the Gospel, Part 1

Read the rest of the series The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to