I was listening to a friend preach a powerful sermon in which he told the story of a conservative woman who no longer felt welcome in her UCC church. My friend sympathized with her concerns. I had another reaction: “Can a conservative person be a follower of Jesus, a first-century radical nonviolent revolutionary who shook … Read more
(This is the fourth in my series of Bil’s ideas about ten misconceptions in Christianity today. This post suggests that the institutional church thinks the trinity makes sense. It doesn’t!) As a child preparing for confirmation, I learned about the Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. I knew the Father was God, … Read more
(This is the third in my series of Bil’s ideas about ten misconceptions in Christianity today. This post suggests that the institutional church thinks the Bible is inerrant. It’s not!) Over and over, I hear the claim, “God wrote the Bible!” I always have to ask “Which god? The Old Testament (OT) one, the New … Read more
Someone recently asked why I think so differently about Christianity than other pastors. I responded that “I attended a progressive Episcopal seminary in Berkeley, California, whose basic teaching philosophy was religious literacy.” “What do you mean by religious literacy?” Let’s start with the word literal. It can be confusing. A literal person is someone who … Read more