Bil Aulenbach I was born an Episcopalian (I was even a PK, or “preacher’s kid”), baptized an Episcopal Christian when I was three weeks old, and attended an Episcopal boys’ school, college, and seminary. I had no exposure to other religions until I went to a seminary in Berkeley. The Bay Area had eight other seminaries, so … Read more
In my last blog post, I alluded to a church of the future that is here and now. One example of this type of church (which is a concept, not a building) was founded by Father Greg Boyle, a Jesuit Roman Catholic priest ordained in 1984. In 1986, he became the pastor of Dolores Mission … Read more
As a child in the 1930s, I loved reading Buck Rogers’s futuristic science fiction comic books (1929–67) about trips to the moon and outer space even though I knew they were pure fantasy. Today, they are realities. I suspect some of you when you finish reading this blog post will say, “This is pure fantasy!” … Read more
For the past thirty years, as a nonstipendiary Episcopal priest, I’ve been watching the institutional church’s demise, wondering if it will die or reform as part of the quiet Reformation the church is going through. What are some of the signs? The institutional church is badly fractured. When I came into the ministry in 1957, … Read more
Let’s look at the differences and similarities between cults and evangelicalism. I’ll start with two definitions from Merriam-Webster: Cult: a system or religion of veneration and/or devotion directed toward a particular figure or object held together by a dominant, often charismatic, individual or by the worship of an idol or some other object. Evangelical: teaching … Read more
In Sunday school, I learned about a white Jesus who never existed. In seminary, I learned about the “Christian Jesus.” Early in my ministry, I promoted this fictitious Jesus. In 1990, I heard about the Jesus Seminar, run by Westar Institute, which involved over two hundred scholars from many different fields (e.g., Old and New … Read more
Pau is a fun Hawaiian word meaning “something is done or finished.” It’s one of those words that is overused but incredibly useful. I’d like to use it here to describe my present relationship with the institutional church. I have been an Episcopalian for my entire 92 years, even for 3 years in college when … Read more
I first saw Sarah McCammon on 60 Minutes on March 24, 2024. She was promoting her book, The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church. I was hoping for some insights into evangelicals. Sarah delivered. My first finding: The Evangelicals are more of a cult than a religion. One of their primary missions … Read more
Annie and I went to see the fiftieth anniversary of the professional stage production of Jesus Christ Superstar on January 20, 2024. The show was outstanding. The whole time I was tapping my foot and singing along with the music, which brought back many warm memories. In 1970, a concert version of this production was … Read more
I have no idea why the book By All Means Available was even on my Kindle. I didn’t know the author or the title, which didn’t attract me. The only aspect that might have interested me was that the author was in the special forces. As a former Marine, I still seem to be intrigued … Read more