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
If you want your baptisms to be invalid in the Roman Catholic Church, say, “we” instead of “I” during the rite. This nitpicking fact made international news when an American Roman Catholic priest, between 2005 to 2022, said “we,” meaning the body of believers, as he baptized folks. Canon law lawyers have ruled that a … Read more
Is the historical Jesus real? The short answer: yes and no. Jesus left no autobiography. None of the Gospels portray a biography about Jesus. Rather, they are interpretations by the authors of who they wanted Jesus to be. This resulted in the many versions of Jesus. He is God, his Son, part of the Trinity: … Read more
In 2022, Lent started on Ash Wednesday, March 2, and terminates with the celebration of Easter, April 17. During this time, there will be a great deal of talk about Jesus, a cross, and his crucifixion. The Holy Week story is filled with lots of myths but little reality. The first time one sees a … Read more
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