My friend Robin blogged about Brian McLaren’s books, writing an almost throw-away line wondering why the crucifixion is such a big deal, much more so than the resurrection, it seems. I jumped on that in the comments, and a wonderfully rich discussion exploded about the atonement. Now I find that Tony Jones is starting a [...]

Posted in bible/theology, quaker 8 Comments »

“Conventional wisdom,” I thought while in the shower, “isn’t.” Isn’t wisdom, I mean. And almost by definition.
If just about everybody thinks it, if it’s conventional, then it probably isn’t wise. Otherwise the world would be a better place. I used to think the most difficult part of life would be figuring out the wise course [...]

Posted in church thoughts 3 Comments »

For years I’ve felt awkward, bordering on guilty, that I pastor a Quaker church and work on MLK day. It seems wrong on multiple levels, like we are turning our backs on our history of social reform. But it also feels kinda weird and selfish to ask for another holiday, or to say, “I am [...]

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John 3:16 shows up everywhere. (But here, not until you click the black screen below)

For some people, it’s a sign of annoying Christianity. For others, it’s a sign of hope. For us at Newberg Friends yesterday, the verse was a chance to remind ourselves of the most foundational truths of what we believe as followers [...]

Posted in NFC, worship & messages No Comments »

I’m glad to be a part of a church community that cares deeply about the whole world, and is not wrapped up in thinking we exist for ourselves. I’m glad to be a part of a church community that is looking to be holistic in our care for the world, recognizing that speaking the good [...]

Posted in NFC, worship & messages No Comments »

Talking about money is not always the easiest thing to do in a church. But last Sunday, that was our theme. Here’s what I shared.

Posted in NFC, worship & messages 1 Comment »

I follow many things, mostly blogs, in Google Reader. (I used to be a Bloglines guy, but I’m finding that Google has placed a lot of time and money into making their stuff work really great with the iPhone, so I’m more and more being sucked into the Google web.) One of the blogs I [...]

Posted in bible/theology 3 Comments »