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November 4, 2011
A House Divided

Churches should try behaving a little more like they're redeemed if they truly want to invite others to Christian faith.

Friedrich Nietzsche was a provocative 19th century German philosopher who is still frequently quoted. He was a severe critic of religion, especially the Christian religion. He once suggested, "The last Christian died on the cross." And concerning Christian evangelism, he said, "If the church wants the world to believe in redemption, then the church ought to look a little more redeemed."

September 30, 2011
The Cure for Anxiety

When the craziness of the world makes you anxious, get back to the basics of life: stop and breathe.

August 24, 2011
Religious Events for 9/11 Tenth Anniversary

Sept. 11 commemorative events planned for the National Cathedral in Washington, DC, have been moved to new locations after a large crane repairing earthquake damage fell on part of the building.

Churches and other faith-based organizations around the United States are gearing up to present a message of hope, faith, tolerance and unity as the nation observes the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

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July 26, 2011
Old Age Is Not for Sissies - Or Show-offs

The wisdom of age soon teaches that showing off for younger friends isn't such a great idea.

Old age is not for sissies. The actor Bette Davis said that, I think. Neither is it for show-offs. I can testify to that.

I have a Mazda Miata, stick-shift, of course. I've bragged about it in these notes at least once before, called it my second middle-age crisis. My wife CP and I have a good friend, a handsome and talented young woman in her very early fifties, younger than our children. I rather proudly took her for a top-down spin in the Miata not long ago. 

July 14, 2011
Love Needs No Chains

For 11 years Katya (kat - cha) was the love of my life. She lived with me, or should I say I lived with her. Her eyes were deep sexy brown. Her teeth were pearly white. And she smiled whenever she looked at me.

"The very night before Herod was going to bring him out, Peter, bound with two chains, was sleeping between two soldiers, while guards in front of the door were keeping watch over the prison." – The Acts of the Apostles 12:6 NRSV*

For 11 years Katya (kat - cha) was the love of my life.

She lived with me, or should I say I lived with her. Her eyes were deep sexy brown. Her teeth were pearly white. And she smiled whenever she looked at me.

May 3, 2011
St. Martin-in-the-Fields Choir Webcast

A concert by the acclaimed Choir of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church will be webcast live on May 5 by the Episcopal Church Office of Communication.

The Episcopal Church Office of Communication will live webcast a performance of London's Choir of St. Martin-in-the-Fields from St. John's Church, Lafayette Square, in Washington, DC (Diocese of Washington) on Thursday, May 5 at 7 pm Eastern (6 pm Central, 5 pm Mountain, 4 pm Pacific, 3 pm Alaska, 2 pm Hawaii).

March 28, 2011
Monday Mail: Sneezes, Wheezes and Evolution

Sneezes and evolution dominate the Editor's email inbox this week.

"Allergy Blues" (Sung to the tune of "Summertime" from "Porgy & Bess")

Texas spring, and the livin' is sneezy;
Trees are buddin' and the pollen is high.
My eyes itch, and my sinuses quiver.
So, hush, all you sneezes; just let me die.

This chorus of "Allergy Blues" is dedicated to all the hay fever and allergy sufferers in the TPC readership. Today in big D the sky is gray with clouds and the smog is heavy with pollen, God help us!

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March 25, 2011
An Irrational Encounter

The encounter between Jesus and the woman at the well was an unlikely one that broke a lot of social conventions -- an irrational meeting that led to new faith.

That pensive mystic and altogether lovely person Madeleine L'Engle once wrote about Christmas as "the irrational season / When love blooms bright and wild. / Had Mary been filled with reason / There'd have been no room for the child."

September 8, 2010
"Radically Faithful: Passionate Christianity Confronting Empire and Savage Inequality," Pasadena, CA.

November 28, 2011
The Lessons Of History

Not everyone holds history in high regard, and even those who do express deep concern that nations and governments do not seem to learn from it. Yet history holds four profound lessons that are urgent for us today, writes columnist Thomas Lane Butts.

One of the most treasured books in my library is a 100-page tome titled the Lessons of History, written in 1968 by Will and Ariel Durant. I have read and reread it and referenced it in many sermons, columns and essays. It is a profound book that should be read by anyone who wishes to understand the great lessons of history by the century rather than by the year. History really makes more sense that way.

November 18, 2011
From the Heart of OWS: 'We ARE the Message'

We who Occupy don’t have a “clear message,” because we are the clear message. We’re the canary in the coal mine. We’re the first responders to the American economy blowing up, to the tragic break in the system.

Dear Society to Which You, We, She and He All Belong:

So we rocked it, right?

Dang diggitty we did. And are. And will, still. The beat don’ stop until the break of dawn.

And it’s always dawn somewhere.

We know some people out there find us raggedy, unkempt, and perhaps congenitally disorganized. And by nature we surely are highly suspicious of organization. Chaos, we get; chaos we like. We understand that from the joyous, raucous frenzy of the subatomically chaotic flowers the life we all know.

November 14, 2011
'Reasonable Elitism:' Unreasonable and Unholy

David Shasha critiques New York Times' columnist David Brooks' arguments for elitism as absurd contentions that trivialize the morals of great religious traditions.

After his previous article “The Wrong Inequality” was criticized for its snobbery and elitism, it now appears that David Brooks has had his poor little feelings hurt according to his latest column, "The Inequality Map".

October 4, 2011
The Inevitability of the Rise of Progressive Christianity

The world is rapidly changing. And as surely as one day follows the next, Christian theology, as it always has (slavery, anyone?), will change right along with it. As our world grows smaller, our Christianity will grow larger, broader, more inclusive.

September 22, 2011
Assessing the Myths of Interfaith Dialogue

Interfaith dialogue, including currently fraught relations between Israelis and Palestinians, might be more successful if an overlooked common Jewish-Arabic heritage were revived.

Editor's note: In light of this week's effort by the Palestinian Authority to gain statehood through the United Nations, we publish again this insightful 2006 article from the founder of the Sephardic Heritage Center, an organization devoted to preserving and promoting the history and accomplishments of Sephardic Jews.

September 22, 2011
Church and State

Church and state intersect in plenty of ways this week, from the U.S. Supreme Court hearing a labor case on the "ministerial execution" to the barbarity of state-sponsored executions.

There's lots of church-state intersection in Faith and the Common Good on this first official day of fall, so let's get right to it.

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A case involving the firing of a teacher with a disability from a religious school has gone before the U.S. Supreme Court in what many see as a test of the traditional "ministerial exception" regarding hiring practices for religious organizations.

September 19, 2011
Gay Union Ban

Some 800 United Methodist clergy and laity have signed letters urging the denomination's Council of Bishops to uphold the ban on gay unions in the United Methodist Church.

More than 300 United Methodist clergy and 500 laity have signed letters urging the Council of Bishops to take a public stand supporting the denomination's position on marriage and homosexuality.

The letters respond to the pledges to bless same-sex unions signed this summer by more than 900 active and retired clergy across the United States.

September 6, 2011
Bad Air, Bad Fires, Bad 9/11 Choices

The Obama Administration wimps out on saving the environment while drought-fueled wildfires blaze through Texas. Meanwhile, the mayor of New York City sets off his own sparks by refusing to include clergy in the 9/11 commemoration.

Faith & the Common Good Sept. 6, 2011

Cough, cough, hack, gasp! That's the sound of the TPC Editor's asthma in the midst of Dallas' Grade F-quality air, which bodes to get worse after the Obama Administration's latest environmental faux pas.

September 6, 2011
Deny Them Their Victory

The National Council of Churches' 2001  interfaith statement “Deny Them Their Victory: A Religious Response to Terrorism” has become a historic expression of America's breadth of belief, including noted denominational leaders, theologians,  scholars, prominent pastors and everyday believers from both major and minor religions.

As part of its observance of the tenth anniversary of the Sept., 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, The National Council of Churches has revived a statement of pastoral concern and peacemaking signed by nearly 4,000 people of faith in the weeks after the attack.

September 2, 2011
A Time for Dialogue

Perhaps it was inevitable that the violent, shocking and tragic acts of 9/11 provoked two broad and contradictory sets of reactions among American Christians, each of which has persisted to this day, and perhaps even hardened. These reactions represent different readings of Islam yes, and they also represent different readings of Christian theology and ethics, scripture and history and they reveal fissures within Christianity itself.

Perhaps it was inevitable that the violent, shocking and tragic acts of 9/11 provoked two broad and contradictory sets of reactions among American Christians, each of which has persisted to this day, and perhaps even hardened. These reactions represent different readings of Islam yes, and they also represent different readings of Christian theology and ethics, scripture and history and they reveal fissures within Christianity itself.

August 31, 2011
Fear, Inc.

A new report from the Center for American Progress outlines the forces and funding behind Islamophobia in the United States.

By Wajahat Ali, Eli Clifton, Matthew Duss, Lee Fang , Scott Keyes, Faiz Shakir

August 31, 2011
Hurricane Irene Aftermath; Deep into 'Dominionism'

Church disaster agencies kick into gear to aid victims of Hurricane Irene. Meanwhile, two religion experts provide a deep look at the reality of Christian 'dominionism' and its possible influence on the 2012 presidential election.

Denominational disaster relief agencies are gearing up to help those communities devastated by the massive inland floods caused by Hurricane Irene, later a tropical storm. The New York Times reports that Irene could rank among the nation's top 10 costliest storms. The news outlet also has some truly stunning photographs of the power of rushing water to wash away homes, businesses and entire towns.

August 29, 2011
Church-State Standoff in Fiji

UPDATE: The military government of Fiji has banned all Methodist meetings except Sunday worship in an unprecedented assault on religious freedom in the island nation. Earlier, the government's cancellation of the Fiji Methodist Church's annual meeting draws consternation and criticism from church leaders around the world.

UPDATE AUG. 31: Fiji cracks down further on church

SUVA, Fiji (United Methodist News Service) — Fiji’s government has banned all Methodist Church meetings except for Sunday worship in an unprecedented crackdown on religious freedom. This includes house groups, women’s prayer fellowship, choir practice, midweek Communion and youth fellowship, as well as the church’s governance meetings. Fijian Methodists, more than a third of the country’s population, are part of the Methodist Church in Britain.

August 23, 2011
Pipeline Protest Continues

Arrests continue in the Tar Sands Action demonstration at the White House as people of faith and environmental activists urge President Obama to deny a license to the Keystone XL Pipeline from the Canadian tar sands to U.S. refineries along the Gulf of Mexico.

The Rev. Jim Antal, Massachusetts Conference Minister for the United Church of Christ, was one of 65 people from across the United States and Canada arrested at the White House Aug. 20, 2011, the first day of a two-week sit-in aimed at pressuring President Obama to deny the permit for a massive new oil pipeline. More than 2,000 more people are expected to participate in the Tar Sands Action by joining in daily acts of civil disobedience through Sept. 3.

August 22, 2011
Putting Their Bodies on the Line

Opponents of a proposed oil pipeline through America's heartland are risking arrest for the next two weeks in daily sit-ins at the White House.

More than 100 activists, including people of faith, have been arrested since Aug. 20 at an ongoing sit-in outside the White House seeking to stop the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline from crossing the United States. Some 2,100 people, including actress and environmental activist Darryl Hannah, have signed up to participate in the daily demonstrations through Sept. 3.

August 11, 2011
Presidential candidates' faith at center of media scrutiny

After Gov. Rick Perry's Reliant revival -- an all-day prayer meeting (with no-dinner-on-the-ground) -- last weekend, God is sure to be a major part of next year's presidential election whether he wants to be or not.

Reprinted with permission from The Fort Worth Star-Telegram

After Gov. Rick Perry's Reliant revival -- an all-day prayer meeting (with no-dinner-on-the-ground) -- last weekend, God is sure to be a major part of next year's presidential election whether he wants to be or not.

Even without Perry getting into the race, which he's expected to do within days, several Republican contenders have been making God and Christian values an issue.