We are raised to work harder, strive, stretch, brutalize the flesh and get what we want. Activity, or more accurately, productivity has become a sacred virtue in our culture.
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The Dark Night
Two Parades. The Lie of Sacred Violence
It was the beginning of Passover as Jesus and his friends headed to Jerusalem for the to celebrate Israel's liberation from Egypt. Word spread that He was on His way to the city. People ran out to meet this Jesus who was taking the land by storm, with his radical teachings of love; turning the…
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The Slap
Rock’s ‘joke’ at Pinket Smith expense prompted her husband (and that nights Best Actor winner) Will Smith to leave his seat, walk onto the stage, and slap Chris Rock. Returning to his seat, Will Smith told Rock in no uncertain terms that he was to stop the cruel jokes at his Jada Pinket-Smith’s expense.
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Why Hate the Sin and Love the Sinner Doesn’t Work
It surprises many to learn that the phrase hate the sin and love the sinner is not in the Bible. This idea seems to have originated with St. Augustine (c.424) in one of his letters when he used the phrase "Cum dilectione hominum et odio vitiorum" which translates as "with love for mankind and hatred…
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Pluriform Love – A Review
I enjoyed an advanced copy of Thomas Jay Oord’s latest book, Pluriform Love—a more academic read than Oord’s recent works, but that shouldn’t scare you off. Oord writes in such a way as to be accessible to a wide swath of interested readers. In Pluriform Love, Oord pushes back on some well-entrenched theological sacred…
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The Crazy Father
A father had two sons, and one of his sons came to him and said, “Dad, I have been thinking it’s time for me to leave and find myself. I need to figure out who I am and make my fortune, my own way in the world. So, I would like you to give me…
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Cosmic Community in Christ
Today I'm pondering estrangement, loneliness and isolation alongside the Apostle Paul's idea about Christ's mission "to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth." Eph..1:10 NRSV. I am wondering about the shift from alienation, offence and estrangement to an experience of deep relationality and healing connectedness to one another; from…
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Seed to the Wind
Conversion Therapy is the discredited practice that attempts to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity by various modalities, including different kinds of prayer. The harm of such practices is well-documented, and the stories of those who have endured such are dreadfully painful. Conversion Therapy Flagship ministries who had claimed to successfully "pray…
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‘Been There’, “Done That’ from a little further along the Way
Continuing my journey from deconstruction to reconstruction, it's interesting to recognize how I seem to have come full circle on things like giving, leadership, structures, scriptures, and mission... But this time from a different vantage point, recognizing that the “issue” wasn’t the issue per se, but rather the culturally-inherited and significant misunderstanding/misapplications of Love resulting…
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Fat Souls Part 2
In our first reflection on Fat Souls, Adams-Farmer based on her reflection on S-I-Z-E ideas by Bernard Loomer. As we discovered in the last post, a Fat Soul is a beautiful soul characterized by its capacity for love, deep relationships and openness. Openness to new. Ideas, perspectives, levels of complexity, non-dual thinking without becoming defensive…
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