I am not going to talk about the Big Lie and voter fraud, “stolen” elections and conspiracy theories galore, but it does amaze me how many Christian “believers” are willing to destroy our democracy to “prove” that these lies are true. Or does it amaze me?
Looking back over my eighty-nine years, I can see that much of life is based on lies, some big, most little.… Read more >
On March 10, 2020, I started my first experience of living in a pandemic. I have survived the Great Depression, World War II, forty-one nonwar wars (search online for a list of wars involving the United States since 1950), a bunch of recessions, and fifteen presidents.
The dictionary says a pandemic is “the outbreak of a disease that is out of control worldwide.”… Read more >
I have not written a blog post since September 2020 when I was diagnosed with lung cancer, a sobering moment in my life. I was then living in the unknown and thought it best to take a break for an operation, maybe more treatment, recovery time, and my mortality.
I had my biopsy in September, and on October 14, the surgeon removed the upper third of my left lung.… Read more >
Two weeks ago, I was diagnosed with lung cancer. Fortunately, we appear to have caught it early, and it doesn’t seem to have metastasized so far.
But I need time to treat the cancer. At some point in the near future, the surgeons will operate and remove the cancerous portions of my left lung.… Read more >
During this COVID-19 pandemic, my wife and I stayed isolated. The good news is that this gave me the opportunity to do a lot of reading, writing, and creating blog posts.
I recently read one book that referred to the institutional church’s need to enforce behavior control. That triggered a blog post idea and reminded me of a joke.… Read more >
I recently spoke with a friend who asked, “Why do you always say that Paul’s conception of Jesus’s resurrection was different than that of the Gospel?”
Good question. Basically, gentiles understand the Bible in a vastly different way from the Jewish people. (Remember, the Bible was written by Jewish authors.) Gentiles almost always interpret it literally.… Read more >
In 2 Corinthians 12:7, Paul said, “To keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan.” What was that thorn, other than painful?
Early in my ministry, I was told that Paul might have had epilepsy, an eye disease, or some other physical impairment.… Read more >
While work
ing on a sermon recently, I reread Romans 8:30: “And those whom [God] predestined he also called.” Much to my surprise, I became annoyed. Wonder why?
Intellectually, I know that predestination has run its course. Modern science has shown that no Master Puppeteer is UpThere pulling everybody’s strings.
Realistically, I know that the theology of predestination is alive and well.… Read more >
I have been a docent at the Mission San Juan Capistrano in California since 1991. I conduct walking tours for fourth graders studying Californian history and adults who want to see this well-preserved historic landmark, which was built in 1776. I also give special tours explaining the mission’s collection of religious art.… Read more >
I met Sister Helen Prejean at Irvine United Congregational Church in 2010. She was a petite woman with a giant message about the death penalty. I bought a copy of her book, Dead Man Walking: The Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty That Sparked a National Debate, which was written in 1994 and made into a movie.… Read more >