Clik here to view.
The Unveiled Head
“ . . . but any woman who prays or prophesies with her head unveiled disgraces her head—it is one and the same thing as having her head shaved.” This passage, from the first letter we have that was...
View ArticleClik here to view.
On Translation: No Easy Answer
Twice last week, I was asked about the “best Bible translation” in order to read to understand as closely as possible what was in the original texts. My answer is not particularly satisfactory but it...
View ArticleClik here to view.
And WHO is My Neighbor? (with apologies to Luke 10)
Photo from: http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/illuminated-paper-blowing-in-the-wind A certain man, life-long student of sacred texts, faithful in religious obligations, admired for doing good...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Bible Doesn’t Support Inclusion
What does it mean to be a church that uses the word “biblical” to describe itself? I ask this in light of multiple fractious discussions over the nature of sin and holiness taking place. Can the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Why Bill Nye Was the Wrong Guy
If you didn’t watch the debate between Bill Nye, “The Science Guy” and Ken Ham, the money and mover behind “Answers in Genesis,”then you can find the YouTube video here. Here is a completely...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Bill Gothard Resignation: This Gets Personal
“It sounds like the Taliban.” That was my oldest son’s response when I told him about the latest scandal in the Christian world: the resignation of Bill Gothard. Gothard was the founder and president...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Inquisition Cometh #UMC
I just read the heartbreaking report that some 60 (unnamed at this point) conservative pastors and theologians in the United Methodist Church have held a phone conversation about the deepening...
View ArticleClik here to view.
California Mystery Worship Two: The ROCK, No Babies or Children Allowed
“No children or babies are allowed in the sanctuary and the youth go to a different place.” With those words disturbingly ringing in my ears, since I think children should observe their parents engaged...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Shall We Just Call Them “Mistakes?” #UMC
The world is ever so much easier to deal with when everything divides into two neat categories. This is good, that is bad. This is heaven, this is hell. This is day, this is night. This is right, this...
View ArticleClik here to view.
California Mystery Worship Six: The Roundtable Church
It didn’t exactly set out to be a time of worship. It was simply a social evening where I joined a friend, my friend’s daughter, her husband, and their two children for a cookout. We sat at a large,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Why the UMC is Such a Dismal Failure at Church Planting #UMC
It was a moment of amazing clarity as I suddenly saw why the United Methodist Church has such a dismal record creating successful church plants. I am defining “successful” as a plant that is showing...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Denton Mystery Worship Six: A Nearly Perfect Experience
The Ministry Page from the Friendship Baptist Church website. “The hour and forty minute service passed as though I had been there only a few moments.” Both my companions and I had the same reaction...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Promiscuous Love
This time of year when the acorns and pecans cover sidewalks liberally here in North Texas, I start thinking about how nature, with its powerful urge to reproduce itself, shows us much about the nature...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Denton Mystery Worship Ten: The Passive Performance, Baptist-Style
An hour and 10 minute service, including high-sound Christmas music and a high-speed 40 minute sermon, left me a bit overwhelmed when I emerged from early worship at First Baptist Church, Denton this...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Denton Mystery Worship Twelve: Home, Home On The Range
Image courtesy of Creative Commons open clip art They started in a barn, with cats underfoot and horses in the stalls. They built a church and it burned. They rebuilt it while meeting in a nearby...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Working Poor and the Privileged Parent
Creative Commons Art I just heard that another parent in the privileged enclave known as Highland Park, a small, rich area in Dallas, TX, has objected to one of her little innocents reading David...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Does God Like Women? How About a Tampon Drive?
© Junpinzon | Dreamstime.com – Feminine Napkins Sold In Grocery Photo “Around the globe, managing menstruation can be a debilitating, even deadly, problem – fueled by a combination of poverty,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Denton Mystery Worship Sixteen: Multi-Site Village Church
[Note: this article originally ran in the Friday, Feb 13, 2015 print and online editions of the Denton Record-Chronicle. Commentary on the seduction of young men and the death of compassion caused by...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Seduction of Young Men and Destruction of Compassion by the Neo-Calvinist...
© Kostudio | Dreamstime.com When the theology says, “You are a totally depraved human being. Nothing good can happen to you unless the sovereign God decides to grant you a blessing,” then those who are...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Airline Near-Disasters and Further Reflections on Lent
Delta Flight at La Guardia, photo courtesy of NYPD By now, anyone who has the news on will have heard about the Delta airplane coming into La Guardia Airport that skidded off the runway. It came within...
View Article