Forgiving the sticks, stones and words that wound A Rosh Hashanah meditation Preached at the Unitarian Church in Charleston, S.C. I am the youngest of five children. The baby. I have a brother who is two years older than I am. Then, there is a
That one time when I made friends with a Christian Nationalist Preached at the Unitarian Church in Charleston, S.C. Just over a decade ago, I taught religion classes at Midlands Technical College in Columbia as an adjunct professor. One year, in my comparative religion class,
Preached at Gentle Spirit Christian Church, Atlanta, Ga. Reading: Mark 10:2-16 Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” “What did Moses command you?” he replied. They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a
Preached at Gentle Spirit Christian Church, Atlanta, Ga. Reading: John 6:35, 41-51 As usual, Jesus is doing a lot here. He’s talking about bread, a powerful symbol of sustenance – but one that could also accidentally kill – and also one that’s incredibly democratic. Everyone
Preached at Gentle Spirit Christian Church, Atlanta, Ga. Reading: Mark 6:14-29 Today’s Gospel reading takes us to one of those biblical scenes that has become such the stuff of legend that most people are able to recite, or at least reference, parts of it whether
Preached at Gentle Spirit Christian Church, Atlanta, Ga. Reading: Matthew 23:29-36 “You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You build granite tombs for your prophets and marble monuments for your saints. And you say that if you had lived in the days of your
Preached at Gentle Spirit Christian Church, Atlanta, Ga. Reading: Matthew 15:10-28 The story of the Canaanite woman is significant on several levels: It represents one of only two times that Jesus leaves Jewish territory — and it signifies the expansion of Jesus’ ministry beyond his
Preached at Gentle Spirit Christian Church, Atlanta, Ga. Reading: Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 The Parable of the Sower The Gospel reading for today centers on what is known as the Parable of the Weeds. In the Gospel of Matthew, it follows what is known as the
Around the country, June is a time when LGBTQ festivals, parades, and events are held to commemorate the 1969 unrest at the Stonewall Inn, an LGBTQ bar in New York City. It has evolved to be a whole month of celebrations, and I’ve noticed events
Preached at First Christian Church of Decatur, Ga. Clobbering the clobber verses: Prepare to be prepared Key resource: This I Know: A Simple Biblical Defense for LGBTQ Christians by Jim Dant Pastor Paul Turner of Gentle Spirit Christian Church was in his office, which is