Bil Aulenbach It seems to me that too many Christians have a list of people or groups unworthy of unconditional love. Part of me thinks that being human without having a list is almost impossible. But my guru, Jesus, says to his true Followers: “No lists. Period.” My list used to be fairly long, but I junked … Read more
I was a history major in college. I really wanted to be a psychology major, but those students had lab classes in the afternoon, and I played soccer in the fall and lacrosse in the late winter and spring. As a psych major I would have to go to Columbus, Ohio, once a week and … Read more
An elderly man walked (not shuffled) into a restaurant with his friend, immediately pulled out a handkerchief, and started doing coin tricks for the children who were waiting in line. He pulled a quarter out of one little boy’s ear. He had flat balloons in his pocket, blew a few of them up, and started … Read more
I named the theistic god NoOneUpThere because the term clearly describes my feelings. If I just call it the theistic god, then some folks are going to say, “He’s just another one of those atheists.” But I’m not! I believe in a force so vast that I can’t describe it in my limited human language. … Read more
I’ve been loath to use the word “God” since November 1958. It represents so many different meanings, ideas, and concepts, and it carries unbelievable baggage. One of those gods killed my friend Brad. Maybe it was the same one or perhaps a different one who “blessed” our middle daughter so that she is deaf, legally … Read more
It was sneaky, not planned. It just happened that way. After that fire engine whapped us and killed my friend Brad in October 1958 and that priest asked me what we had done to deserve this horrendous accident, I wasn’t interested in working for, serving, or even hanging around a god who would punish people … Read more
I’m going to share a story that I don’t remember—I have retrogressive amnesia. I do remember that it was a beautiful October afternoon in 1958. My friend Brad and I were getting on our motorcycles to drive to Tilden Park in Berkeley. The rest is hearsay until I woke up in a hospital, hurting all … Read more
I call myself a PC, but that does not mean politically correct, which I usually am not. If I was with a group of mainstream Protestant clergy, most of them would know that when I call myself a PC, I mean I am a progressive Christian. I can hear some of you asking, “What or … Read more
I am a retired Episcopal priest who has been ordained for almost sixty years and in the church business all my life (I’m a “PK,” a preacher’s kid). For years, I have struggled with what the church has told me I have to believe because so much of it doesn’t make any sense. Some of … Read more