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Progressive Christian

Reflection

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Select a Month December 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 December 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011

June 2016

June 07, 2016

Welcoming Wonder and Curiosity: Lessons from a Comic Shop for the Church

I have loved comics for as long as I can remember being able to read....

May 2016

May 26, 2016

Keep Christianity Weird: The Trinity, Mermaids, UFOs, and Holy Strangeness

Keep it weird. From Portland and Boulder to Austin and Asheville, “Keep It Weird” has...

March 2016

March 01, 2016

Fear Will Be the Big Winner on Super Tuesday

It's Super Tuesday. Lots of people are voting today. And if I had to put...

March 01, 2016

Repenting of Repentance

We need to repent of the word ‘repent.’ Shouted from pulpits and street corners, it’s...

February 2016

February 26, 2016

Expansive Love in the Church: On Being a Dad and a Father, a Priest and a Parishioner

Peanut butter smudges against the screen of my smartphone, and I simultaneously mumble a...

February 12, 2016

Lenten Disciplines for Social Media: Creating a Better Web Together

Social media can be a pretty harsh place these days. Death threats, bullying, shaming,...

January 2016

January 04, 2016

Inconsistent Scripture: Why the Bible’s Errors Are Actually Good News for Christians

I still remember the first time I realized that not only were there two creation stories in...

October 2015

October 23, 2015

Why I Bless Halloween Costumes at Church

I love Halloween. Always have. I loved Halloween as a teenager so much that I...

September 2015

September 08, 2015

The Identity Crisis of Christ (Lectionary Reflection Mark 8:27-38)

Proper 19 — Year B — Mark 8:27-38 Ever since his baptism, Jesus’ world had...

August 2015

August 31, 2015

If All Lives Really Matter: The False Racial Unity of Glenn Beck’s Massive March on Birmingham

Contrary to what conservative pundits would have you believe, Black Lives Matter is not a...

August 03, 2015

Witnessing Murder: Spirituality and Emotional Trauma in the Age of Viral Violence

With unprecedented intimacy and frequency, Americans are becoming witnesses to murder. With the videos of...

July 2015

July 27, 2015

“Because Cotillions!” & Other Episcopal #AutoCorrect Fails

Like most folks, I do a lot of things while I'm doing a lot of...

July 21, 2015

This is REAL Christian Persecution: Augusta Church Hit with anti-LGBT Hate Crime

Christian persecution in the United States is real. It's just not what you think. Christian...

July 15, 2015

Peace is Not Tranquility (A #WGFest2015 Lectionary Reflection)

Lectionary Year B — Proper 11 — Mark 6:30-34; 53-56 On Saturday, my youngest...

June 2015

June 28, 2015

A Prayer for Unanswered Prayers

Where do unanswered prayers go? Do they get lost on their way to God’s ears...

June 15, 2015

Jeremiah 29:11 Isn’t about You … And That’s a Good Thing

Jeremiah 29:11 is not about you. And, to be honest, I really don't think you...

May 2015

May 28, 2015

Don’t Thank God that Nebraska Ended the Death Penalty

Don't thank God that Nebraska just voted to end the death penalty. Thank an atheist...

May 16, 2015

Going to Bed Angry

Going to Bed Angry Last night I slept into an angry pillow. In the morning...

May 05, 2015

Dear Graduate: Do Not Follow Your Dreams

Dear Graduate, If memory serves, this month, as you are nearing graduation, you will be getting...

March 2015

March 10, 2015

#KellyOnMyMind but Is Manuel On My Mind, Too? Problems of our Death Penalty Activism

A saint's scheduled execution was widely protested and decried in Georgia. A sinner's scheduled execution...

February 2015

February 26, 2015

Vinyl Church: 5 Things Christians Can Learn from Vinyl Records

Vinyl. It's not just for hipsters any more. And Christians ought to listen up, because the...

February 04, 2015

Vanishing Jesus and the Christ of the Deserted Place (A Lectionary Reflection for Mark 1:29-39)

Epiphany 5B — Mark 1:29-39 When the people most sought him, Jesus ran away. When the people...

January 2015

January 22, 2015

We Had This Treasure in an Earthen Vessel: Marcus Borg, a modern-day divine

Like many, I was deeply saddened to hear of the death of Marcus Borg, a...

January 21, 2015

Making Room at Christ’s Table: The Gift of Progressive Christianity

You might underestimate how large the Christian umbrella is. This simple sentence appeared in red...

August 2014

August 27, 2014

#IfTheyGunnedMeDown, Who Do You Say that I Am?

Year A — August 24 — Matthew 16:13-20 — Proper 16 Who do you say...

April 2014

April 19, 2014

Holy Saturday and Harry Potter: On Tombs, Thestrals, and the Descent into Hells

In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, author J.K. Rowling introduces readers to...

March 2014

March 26, 2014

I Don’t Blame World Vision. I Blame Homophobia and Hate.

I don't blame World Vision for reversing their decision to accept employees in same-sex marriages....

March 07, 2014

Into the Wild: A Lenten Homily Not About Temptation

Lent 1 — Year A — Gen. 2:15-17; 3:1-7, Psalm 32, Rom. 5:12-19, Matt. 4:1-11...

October 2013

October 04, 2013

The Worst Bad Word You Can Teach a Kid to Say

Whenever I’m angry or frustrated, I tend to say a very nasty, very ugly word....

September 2013

September 19, 2013

The Facts Don’t Matter. Only Love Does.

The facts really don't matter. When it comes to divisive political and religious issues —...