Original Sin? Part One

Many modern/postmodern people are reluctant to talk about sin. Part of the reason is because of the sick theology from much of the church regarding that subject. Emphases on original sin, trivial sins, threats of hell, exclusive claims regarding salvation, and a judgmental, punishing God are a turnoff for people… Continue reading

The Decline of Religion in the United States

Today, May 23, 2023, I saw two articles on the Internet concerning the decline of religion (especially Christianity) in the US. The first article reports the results of the General Social Survey, the University of Chicago’s research group NORC, the Pew Research Center, Public Religion Research Institute, and a 2022… Continue reading

The Elephant in the Room (Podcast)

This sermon was written for the thousands of churches in our culture who are anxious about the future of their dwindling congregations. The sermon assumes that we are in a time of transition regarding the nature of both the church and Christianity. My hope is that what I share may be helpful as congregations contemplate their identity, mission, and future in our changing society. Continue reading

Whose Stuff Will They Be? Luke 12:13-21

Read the Scripture The obvious answer is these large barns of grain as well as all the man’s wealth will go to his heirs. All the man’s energy and time, all the precious potential he squandered while focusing on acquisition and greed, all the possibilities he rejected to make the… Continue reading

Radical Doxology

The third lecture in a series given by Walter Brueggemann in a Canadian Anglican church is entitled “New Orientation: Faith as Gift and as Impossibility.” This lecture concludes Brueggemann’s presentation of the Psalms from the perspective of Orientation, Disorientation, and New Orientation. He ends his lecture series with this definition… Continue reading

God’s Trump Card

All her life she had heard that homosexuals could not be saved and were destined for hell unless they repented and allowed God to change them. She had heard such a message from preachers, tv evangelists, friends, and other Christians. And it broke her heart to think that the grandson she so loved was burning in hell because he was gay. Continue reading