This is some of the text I used on Sunday. I ended up preaching a message that was pretty different in a lot of ways from what I originally prepared, but I thought I’d still post this because I wanted to share the general idea. If you’re interested
Continue reading →At our church for Lent we’re reflection on two interrelated questions “Who is Christ?” and “What Canst Thou Say (about this Christ)?” So there’s an inner tension in these two questions: what has been said about who Christ is? Who does he claim to be? Who do we
Continue reading →This is probably the last of my Quaker Heritage Day reports, but a few Sundays back I shared during worship about our trip. If you’re interested you can listen to the Camas Friends Church podcast from that day: Travelogue from Quaker Heritage Day
Continue reading →Read this today and found it inspiring: It is of the new things that men tire – of fashions and proposals and improvements and change. It is the old things that startle and intoxicate. It is the old things that are young. There is no skeptic who does not feel that
Continue reading →During Quaker Heritage Day one of the key themes I discussed was the idea of remix culture recently written about by Lawrence Lessig in his book with the same title. ((You can download Remix for free from here)) Remix culture has a long history that began back with the advent
Continue reading →Being open to the truth within the various branches of Quakerism is one way we exemplify the virtue of listening to God. When we listen to others, we also allow ourselves to be made subject to them, and in this form of humility we have the hope of hearing God
Continue reading →In reviewing some of my writing on philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre in preparation for my exams I am reminded of the importance of writing (and re-writing) history. Much of our moral disagreements in today’s society stem from an inability to recognize where things “went wrong” historically. The tools of analysis,
Continue reading →This seems appropriate given the events of today involving a friend and Fuller prof. of mine. Quaker John Wilhelm Rowntree wrote in 1905: Every [one] knows in [their] heart that there is no greater thing in the world than pure unselfish love. Death cannot conquer, nay he teaches ever that
Continue reading →For now, I’d like to share the materials that were requested by those there at the Quaker Heritage Day event in Berkeley, CA this past weekend. A number of folks hoped I’d share the slides, and other documents. You can find those things below. Hopefully these things can
Continue reading →I heard the words of fire spring forth from a child (of God); words that sparked an inferno and swallowed the whole world. It was an unintended outcome, but the devastation surprised no one. Simple words carry with them, the power to pick up, and the power to tear down.
Continue reading →I was reminded of a poem I love today while working on my Quaker Heritage Day talks. It’s written by a Canadian Quaker (and friend of mine) named Julie Robinson. The poem is found in her pamphlet called: Openings: A Poet’s Encounter with Elizabeth Fry (Woodbrooke Journal 2008
Continue reading →Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse. Romans 12:14 Queries :: 1. What does it really mean to bless/curse another person with language? 2. In what ways have I been a recipient of both blessings or curses? How have these things impacted my life? 3. What
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