Pope Says OK to Birth Control
OK, the headline is a bit of a stretch. However, apparently the Pope did make a reference to problem of the Zika virus and the many babies being born with significant neurological defects. Here’s the...
View ArticleAsk the Thoughtful Pastor: Finding a Church and Ted Cruz as Messiah
[Note: because of the complexity of these questions, I’ve posted an expanded version below of what is slated to appear in the religion section of the Denton Record-Chronicle on Feb. 26, 2016.] Dear...
View ArticleAsk the Thoughtful Pastor: Lords Prayer and Wading Pool Theology
Dear Thoughtful Pastor: Why is the Catholic Lord’s Prayer different from the Protestant Lord’s Prayer? What Protestants call the Lord’s Prayer and Catholics call the Our Father is found in both...
View ArticleThe Promiscuity of Nature Versus the Pristine Swimming Pool
I’m lucky enough to live in a house that has a pool in the backyard. In Texas, this pool serves ever so many advantages. The hot tub provides relaxation on cooler winter nights, the rest of the pool a...
View ArticleAsk the Thoughtful Pastor: Is Mainline the Opposite of Evangelical?
Dear Thoughtful Pastor: I grew up in an “evangelical—fundamental” Christian home. My recollection is that this meant a high regard for scripture and belief in the basic tenets of the Christian faith....
View ArticleThe State of Irreligion in the US
It’s Sunday, around noon when I started writing. Have a houseful of guests–relatives of my husband. We’ve been married just six months so this fun time has been one of learning much about his family....
View ArticleToxic Christianity: Can Jesus Save Us From It?
Has Christianity turned toxic? I wish I could say that it hasn’t, that it is a religion full of adherents who freely pass onto others the grace, reconciliation and forgiveness so generously given to...
View ArticleOur Interconnected and Tragically Divided World
The Interconnection On Sunday, two cousins, Gene (we’ll call him Gene One) and Gene (Gene Two), who also share the same distinctive last name and who had not seen each other in over fifty years, met...
View ArticleSecret Shame and Church Offering Plates: Let’s Talk about Money
“Viral” hardly describes what happened to this recent article in The Atlantic. It’s called “The Secret Shame of the Middle Class”. The author, Neal Gabler, is a well-known and well-respected writer....
View ArticleAn Ancient Base, A Modern Overlay, the Christian Challenge, and General...
Shortly (actually not so shortly as my flight has just been delayed) I leave for Portland, Oregon to observe and write about the General Conference of The United Methodist Church. As always, it...
View Article24 Hours into General Conference: Sinking in the Graveyard of Procedural Stuff
The Rev. Don Underwood, at his sixth General Conference as delegate and his ninth overall, stated in a morning briefing with the North Texas Conference delegates, “We are sinking further and further...
View ArticleThe sad necessity of abortion: how can the church lead the way?
The news hit early today: the Supreme Court struck down the law passed by the Texas Legislature that placed extreme restrictions on abortion access in Texas, particularly for poorer women in rural...
View ArticleAsk the Thoughtful Pastor: Did Trump “accept Jesus into his heart?”
Dear Thoughtful Pastor: What does it mean that Donald Trump has accepted Jesus into his heart? Has Hillary Clinton accepted Jesus into her heart? Thank you for your reply. Let me state this clearly: I...
View ArticleAn evening of joy; a morning of tragedy: will we ever wake up?
We’d had the most joyful of afternoons. After two interminable weeks in a non-weight bearing foot situation, my husband’s bandage was replaced with a walking cast. Delighted, we went to out to dinner...
View ArticleAsk the Thoughtful Pastor: how did we let social media take over our minds?
Dear Thoughtful Pastor: been noticing of late how intrusive I’ve let social media and media consumption in general become. So I’ve been banishing the tablet from my bed three nights a week, which has...
View ArticleThe strong woman problem for Evangelicals and Republicans
How do leading republicans feel about women? Try this one on for size: During the debate, GOP pollster Frank Luntz shared a text that he said he’d received from a Republican member of Congress saying...
View ArticleAsk the Thoughtful Pastor: how do you stop someone you think is going to do...
Dear Thoughtful Pastor: What do you do if you know a person is going to do something bad but has not executed it. Is there any way to stop them? You have no hard evidence of their actions but you know...
View ArticleNotes from a retired pastor, musings from cruisings: swans and emaciated Jesus
Luxury cruising: finding our bed strewn with rose petals and towel swans along with a bottle of champagne waiting for us as a way to honor our anniversary. Luxury cruising: having the head chef come...
View ArticleThe church then and today: the need to exclude defines us
Saturday was Sicily. We wandered in the small villages that Francis Ford Coppola inadvertently made famous by filming parts of The Godfather movie series in them. We were making our way to a church...
View ArticleAsk the Thoughtful Pastor: Am I supposed to let someone hit me?
Dear Thoughtful Pastor: The Bible says to turn the other cheek when I am affronted. How do such words apply in a world full of radicalism, threats, rampant murders, bigotry and hate? How many...
View Article