New Year/new mercies (we hope)
We have reached the end of 2016. It seems like many found this past twelve month period unusually difficult. Think of Syrian refugees, beloved celebrity deaths, world-shocking political upheavals. I...
View ArticleAsk the Thoughtful Pastor: what about Israel?
Israel is as capable of doing evil as any other nation Its laws and policies are set by humans, not God. Dear Thoughtful Pastor: What is your view on the US supporting Israel? I am often fascinated by...
View ArticleWhy I am joining the women’s march
I will join the January 21, 2017, Women’s March on Austin, a part of the larger Women’s March on Washington. I march not to protest a Trump presidency, no matter how distasteful I may find it. Instead,...
View ArticleHelp! How come the innocents, not the perps, get hurt?
But one leader, totally absorbed in him or herself and the need to hold onto perks of leadership and prestige, can wreak havoc on the larger civilization. Dear Thoughtful Pastor: I am reading about...
View ArticleWhy I will listen to DJT take the presidential oath of office
Can a man whose world revolves primarily, or even only, around himself and his need to be powerful make a decent and responsible President for the whole of the US? Friday, January 20, I head to Austin....
View ArticleHelp! Does an all-powerful God cause the innocent to suffer?
The easy answers like “It’ll all turn out OK in the end. If it is not OK, it’s not the end” nearly make me sick to my stomach. What does that say to those who are suffering horrifically in this very...
View Article“The Christians”–both the play and the reality
The vote supports Pastor Paul, but it doesn’t take long for Pastor Joshua’s new church, affirming the reality of hell, to drain the mother congregation. I saw The Christians on Sunday. Lucas Hnath...
View ArticleHelp! The refugee crisis: What’s the Christian way to reduce terrorism?
Should the government move to restrict egress based on nothing but “what might happen,” especially refugees seeking asylum are fleeing home-grown wars, then there is only one proper Christian response:...
View ArticleThe con man, the church, human gullibility and our beliefs
Once we have spent time in a particular belief system, especially in a “church” environment that demands massive contributions, unquestioned loyalty, absorbs all spare time and which forms the entire...
View ArticleHelp! White nationalism and the human pecking order
Here’s the thing: we humans, similar to small-brained chickens, have this need to know our place in the pecking order. Most want to peck our way to the top, uncaring of the damage we do to others in...
View ArticleHelp! Can I make my parents change their behavior?
Option: Confront your parents and insist they change their behavior so you feel better. Dictate precisely what you need. This has a success rate of something approaching zero. Dear Thoughtful Pastor:...
View ArticleThe Shack: a journey into grief and the questions of good and evil
That the love of God means the freedom for people to make their unimpeded choices for good or evil permeates The Shack. [Note: The Shack, based on the book by William P Young, is about to be released....
View ArticleHelp! Can I forgive someone and still end the relationship?
Yes, we are expected to forgive endless times. Cultivating the habit of forgiveness makes life with others possible. But forgiveness is not necessarily linked to friendship or reconciliation. Dear...
View ArticleSilence: a movie for those tired of lies about God
Silence stops in its tracks the lies that good humans won’t suffer. It strips away any surety that our right actions and beliefs will bring the results we want. I spent my formative Christian years in...
View ArticleHelp! I’m poor. Should I tithe to TV preachers?
However, large religious institutions, especially those with massive expenses and infrastructures, manipulated the tithe as a way to essentially extort money from less biblically literate members. Dear...
View ArticleHelp! I’m peace loving and don’t WANT to fight wars for Jesus
Did Jesus finish the work of defeating evil or did he not finish the work and therefore we must go to battles and wars for him? Dear Thoughtful Pastor: There is a hymn called “Stand Up, Stand Up for...
View ArticleSexist pastors, sexist news commentators: losses and wins
Today: a possible victory for women subjected to sexist practices partnered with the long-running “Christian” and unquestionably sexist practice of keeping women’s voices subjugated. In the New York...
View ArticleIt’s time. Blow up the UMC. My own breaking point.
These responses may be the breaking point for me. A church based on a theology of grace operates with the same nastiness of our current political discourse. I had planned a gentle, thoughtful post...
View ArticleHelp! How do I tell my sister to hush about her husband?
My biggest life mistake is asking people to read my mind and do what I want without my having to say it. Dear Thoughtful Pastor: My sister is separating from her husband and will soon move in with me...
View ArticleHelp! Do abusive people keep power by defining forgiveness?
When abusive people, those who misuse the power entrusted to them, face accusations of misconduct, they deflect the blame toward the one who has been abused. Dear Thoughtful Pastor: Why is it always...
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