Bil Aulenbach As long as I can remember, the Christian Cross has been a part of my life. The Episcopal Church taught me that every time I walk by the Cross I had to stop and bow my head. I never thought twice about it. When I was an acolyte, I would often carry the processional Cross … Read more
For almost eighty years, my life centered around the Episcopal church. During my first twenty years in the ministry, the church was a powerful and positive force in our nation. Today, I see much of the institutional church as a negative presence, sometimes even trying to destroy democracy with its theocracy. In 1945, 75 percent … Read more
I have quit Facebook three times in the past year because I don’t like how it does business. I always felt like quitting was the right thing to do. Then, someone sends me a message that I want or feel I need to read. Sheepishly, I open the message and see myself as weak, wishy-washy, … Read more
I received this notice from our tax preparer, “Joe,” on January 3, 2020. “I trust you will respect my decisions. In an effort to be totally transparent you need to know that—after much study and thought—I have NOT received any of the shots. And I will no longer wear a mask at my income tax … Read more
On January 12, 2022, I received the following comment to my blog post “The January 6 Epiphany.” “Are you from the woke mob? You probably support abortion in all ways and are a lost sheep. And if 91 million people voted this moron into office that shows how bad of shape our country is really … Read more
I have never been comfortable with the idea that a human can be crucified and then resurrected. It makes no sense and reeks of silliness. Here’s why: Dead is dead. If Jesus had played dead and he wasn’t, the centurion who had pronounced him dead would have been crucified the next day. Those were the … Read more
In the third century, a new abbot arrived at the monastery to oversee the monks who were copying the Bible by hand. He noticed that the monks were not copying from the original, so the abbot started checking copies against the original. Suddenly, he started sobbing, “It can’t be true! The original word was celebrate. … Read more
Have you ever wondered why so many people are against critical race theory (CRT)? I have. Then, one day I had an ah-ha moment. I believe in CRT’s premise that systematic and institutional racism exists everywhere. I see it in churches, educational systems, the military, and my community as well as in my own life. … Read more
As I was writing my new book, I became very aware of all the different versions of Jesus. Let us review some of them. Probably the most familiar one is the White Jesus, the Hollywood one with pinkish skin, rosy cheeks, blue eyes, light-brown hair with a well-trimmed beard and moustache in a brilliant white … Read more