Every time the Supreme Court issued a verdict this past summer, I felt another nail in the coffin of our democracy. It was depressing. I sensed the approach of a theocracy controlled by the ultraconservative religious right. I felt helpless about how to stop this fast-moving train wreck. On August 20, 2022, I attended a … Read more
A man I knew was one hundred years old and ready to move on, but something in him wouldn’t let him. He stated, “I never knew it would be so hard to die.” Interesting comment! In my sixty-three years of ministry, I have watched many people want to die but their “battery” wouldn’t stop. Why … Read more
Shortly after the nullification of Roe v. Wade, I received an email from one of my blog readers that complained about how the Bible seems so anti-woman. She wanted me to reinterpret the Torah in favor of women. I would love to do that, but in the Old Testament, women are usually considered property. My … Read more
Ninety years ago, most of the world believed that the only sexual orientation was between a man and a woman. No one spoke about any other options, even though they existed. In college, I learned about those who were queer (the Q in LGBTQIA+), then a pejorative. My vocabulary also included fairy, fag, and homo … Read more
Every time I read or hear something about Christian nationalism, I shudder. This movement has nothing to do with Jesus, Christianity, or the US Constitution, which demands the separation of church and state. Christian nationalism is an attempt to establish a militaristic theocracy. For most of my life, the word Christian has been positive despite … Read more
In my sixty-three years of ministry, I have encountered dozens of different Jesuses. In my own life, the Sunday School Jesus was white with well-coiffed brown hair and a brilliant white flowing gown, looking like he just got off the boat from Sweden. My young adult Jesus appeared human but was really God. Seminary’s Jesus … Read more
Mark (14:7), Matthew (26:11), and John (12:8) all claim that Jesus said, “The poor will always be around.” I have never liked that statement. It’s defeatist, and I want to prove it wrong. In the 1960s, when Lyndon Johnson was president, he led a war on poverty and was about 40 percent successful. Then Nixon … Read more
About six months ago, my editor and some friends suggested that I write more positive, inspiring blog posts. I thought that was a good idea and gave it a try. However, a few weeks ago, I realized I was back to my old ways. I’m going to try again. My first idea was to do … Read more
When I was a history major in college, I was intrigued by World War II. I always wondered how Adolf Hitler convinced the Lutheran Church that he was a good guy. Fast-forward to February 2022, when the Russians started a massive buildup on the Ukrainian border. I was surprised that the free world just watched … 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