When I went to seminary in 1957, the Episcopal Church Evangelism Society gave me a scholarship because I was going into the mission field to share Jesus’s concept of agape love and to teach people how to fish, not just give them a fish. About thirty years ago, I learned that the word evangelical had … Read more
Many people are surprised by this fact. Perhaps some folks think that Mary, the virgin who gave birth to Jesus, remained a virgin, a perpetual one. If this were the case, how could there be more children? Others think one kid like Jesus is enough. Folklore suggests the siblings were stepchildren. Joseph was their dad. … Read more
The story of the flood and Noah’s Ark is found in the book of Genesis, chapters 6–9. As a child I always loved that story, but for some reason I had never heard the ending until I went to seminary. It’s sad! About five years ago my wife and I went to Turkey and spent … Read more
Most folks don’t realize that there are many different Jesuses. I’m not talking about south of the border where quite a few men are named Jesus. I am also not including the patients in the psychiatric hospital where I interned in the 1950s who believed they were Jesus. The most popular Jesus is probably the … Read more
I lived in Paradise—Hawai’i—for twenty years. There I met my Annie, our three daughters were born, and, for fifteen of those years, I served as an Episcopal priest. I still receive that diocese’s church e-mail postings. A week ago, a member asked the bishop, “Do I have to pray for him, and, if so, do … Read more
It seems to me that too many Christians have a list of people or groups unworthy of unconditional love. Part of me thinks that being human without having a list is almost impossible. But my guru, Jesus, says to his true Followers: “No lists. Period.” My list used to be fairly long, but I junked … Read more
I was a history major in college. I really wanted to be a psychology major, but those students had lab classes in the afternoon, and I played soccer in the fall and lacrosse in the late winter and spring. As a psych major I would have to go to Columbus, Ohio, once a week and … Read more
An elderly man walked (not shuffled) into a restaurant with his friend, immediately pulled out a handkerchief, and started doing coin tricks for the children who were waiting in line. He pulled a quarter out of one little boy’s ear. He had flat balloons in his pocket, blew a few of them up, and started … Read more
I named the theistic god NoOneUpThere because the term clearly describes my feelings. If I just call it the theistic god, then some folks are going to say, “He’s just another one of those atheists.” But I’m not! I believe in a force so vast that I can’t describe it in my limited human language. … Read more
I’ve been loath to use the word “God” since November 1958. It represents so many different meanings, ideas, and concepts, and it carries unbelievable baggage. One of those gods killed my friend Brad. Maybe it was the same one or perhaps a different one who “blessed” our middle daughter so that she is deaf, legally … Read more