Last Rites
A man was struck down by a bus on a very busy street. As he was lying near death after being pulled up onto the sidewalk, a crowd of spectators began to gather around him. “My God, a priest. Somebody get a priest!” the critically
Safe in Church
The preacher was wired for sound with a lapel mike, and as he preached, he moved briskly about the platform, jerking the mike cord as he went. Then he moved to one side, getting wound up in the cord and nearly tripping before jerking it
Zacchaeus and Jesus: Why We Are All ‘Righteous Ones’ Like the Tax Collector
Zacchaeus: The original ‘despicable me’ Reading for the 21st Sunday after Pentecost: And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus who
Distinguishing Religious Conservaties from Religious Fascists
There has to be a distinction between “religious conservatives,” and “religious fascists.” Those who seek to deny others basic civil rights, and cast aspersions on assorted minority groups such as gays and illegal immigrants are religious or secular fascists. People like Franklin Graham, Ken Hutcherson,
Gay Marriage Tidewater
David Cole captures readers’ attention with the observation that “the gay rights movement has achieved more swiftly than any other individual rights movement in history, not merely the impossible but the unthinkable.” A few years ago, writes Cole, “those who fought for the right to
Can ‘Lincoln’ Still Happen Here and Now?
One lesson most moviegoers picked up from Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln” was that the workings of Congress have always involved downright ugly wheeling and dealing. Votes were bought, sold and traded to pass both good and bad legislation. The laudatory goal of that January 1865 backroom
Popes Out-of-Step with Their Times
Poll after poll has found that the Catholic papacy is out-of-step with its increasingly shrinking U.S. flock. On the topic of abortion, 55% of U.S. Catholics do not want the 1973 landmark Roe v. Wade decision overturned, 67% favor pre-marital sex, 71% approve of divorce,
Once Irreconcilable, Now Indivisible
I have at times, as I am certain a great many others have, speculated on what it would be like to be able to travel back in time and confront myself when I was younger, and speak to the person who I was at that
Shine the Light
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.” ~Martin Luther King Jr. “Light up the darkness.” ~Bob Marley A good friend of mine recently posted a video link on Facebook. In the video,
We Are All God’s People – And What That Means for Christianity
Our human search for God and being people of God has been a long and ever changing journey despite the urge to bundle the accounts together into one, homogenous message. The bundler, then and now, seeks to make all these diverse messages speak for God