Each Sunday morning, a friend of mine goes hiking. It’s usually something he does alone. Taken while on his hike, he’ll post a picture on social media of something that caught his eye. The caption is always the same. It’s a one-word exclamation. Church. For decades, I’ve facilitated workshops on… Read More »Church
The Christian Church in the United States is dying. That should come as no surprise to anyone. It happened in Western Europe and Australia after World War II. It happened in Canada and Ireland as well. Now it’s happening here. Attendance at churches of every kind is declining. Yes, even… Read More »The Christian Church is Dying
I first read about this when I was a grad student. Theoretically, it made sense to me, but I hadn’t experienced it. I tried to imagine what it would like. Perhaps I got a glimmer of the experience, but not much more than that. Today, well….let’s just say I’m living… Read More »Transitions
I’m spending eight days at the Benedictine Monastery of the Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in Clyde, Missouri. I’ve been friends with this community for over twenty years. As I begin this time of spiritual retreat, I thought I’d share about what I do while on retreat and why I am… Read More »Time with the Holy One: Day One of Retreat
Political drama continues to unfold. The issues are not new. Refugees fleeing from systemic oppression are refused entry to countries. Yet, without entry, they cannot legally make application for asylum. Racial hatred grows and is demonstrated by actions ranging inappropriate calls for the police (as the call complaining about Black… Read More »When Will It End?
1969: I have some clear memories of that year. I was in my adolescence. I didn’t understand my sexuality. I don’t think I ever heard the word “gay” used to refer to sexual orientation. I didn’t know anything about sexual orientation. All I knew for sure was that I didn’t… Read More »June: Pride Month
Tuesday, May 29, 2018: two significant events occurred in the United States. Two major corporations took action on social issues that, at least in the short run, hurt their bottom line. They made decisions to reduce the impact of racism in the United States. Starbucks closed 8,000 stores for company-wide… Read More »It Happened One Day …
There are many things in life I just don’t understand. One of them is how people misrepresent the heart of a religion — any religion. Whether it’s Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, or Christianity, some followers of each path are likely to take minor themes from the religion out of context, blow… Read More »The Politics of Christianity
