I admit, I didn't read much of Christopher Hitchens after he left (or got booted out of) the liberal journal, The Nation.  I did read his book, God is Not Great and several of his Vanity Fair articles but I can't say that I know all of his positions, except the… Read full post »

Here's a fine essay by a local Cleveland pastor that speaks to the media's surfeit of attention to religious nutbags and circus freaks to the near exclusion of credible voices of faith.  I'm especially impressed that the good reverend doesn't pull his punches by using the usual "polite" language… Read full post »

I'm the last practicing Christian to say that the Bible is without error.  It doesn't say much about slavery for example, except to pretty much take it as a given.  The abolitionist Christians didn't really have much to point to in the Scripture to support their position.  Yet, we all… Read full post »

I've been reading Inherently Unequal, a book about the Supreme Court decisions during Reconstruction that laid the foundation for Jim Crow laws.  It devotes a chapter to the manner in which Darwin's theory was used by some as an argument in favor of policies that benefitted the already wealthy a… Read full post »

Remember the emails you got from your wingnut friends after Katrina, claiming that it was God's wrath smiting the homos and whores in Nawlins?  How come the wingnuts aren't sending the same emails about AZ, now that it's up in flames? 

Mind you, I'm not, in any way, making light… Read full post »

I'd read this before but forgotten it.  It's a bit long but a great read for those of us who pay attention to Scripture but think...nay, know...that homophobia and hatred of gay men and women is simply bad theology.

Here it is. Read full post »

I grew up Catholic (still practice...not without frustration) in a small town in SC.  SC has the least percentage of Catholics in the nation, or it did at one time.  We were there when the KKK was still putting posters in store windows to announce rallies.

Our Mom was and… Read full post »

Back in September, I started the new Sunday School year for my Methodist high schoolers.  Last week was my last week for the year.  In between, I told stories from the Old Testament; started with Genesis and worked my way through Judges.  (I skipped Leviticus...too boring.)  I pre… Read full post »

John C. Calhoun was, twice, VP of the US.  (I mention him because I recently listened to Team of Rivals on CD.)  John C. Calhoun was also an ardent (very ardent) defender of slavery.   So...did John C. Calhoun go to hell?

I found a 2008 article from Pew Forum on Religious… Read full post »

I'm one of those who, upon seeing a poorly kept blog (last entry is, say, last September) gets all self-righteous, imagining the blogger to be guilty of sloth and unkept promises.  "Don't start a blog if you're not going to keep it up," I sniff. 

And then I go ten… Read full post »

Sunday school has started up for the junior high and high schoolers at First United Methodist Church in Wellington.  Usually the junior high and high school kids are separated but they junior high teacher "retired", so I've got the whole crew until we can recruit somebody. 

 I always… Read full post »

About 18 months ago, the steeple on our church had to come down.  We raised money to put it back up and, last month, the work on the belfry was finished and the steeple was re-fitted atop.  One thing:  the cross on top of the steeple, which had previously faced straight… Read full post »

There's a book out written by a young man who hails from nearby (to me) Oberlin.  One of the woman in our congregation taught him in the fifth grade.  His family is Quaker and way left of center.  It's the story of his transferring, for one semester, from Ivy League Brown… Read full post »

if the only reason you might be part of the "exodus" to the Catholic church is because you don't like the idea of women being bishops...stay the hell out.

We have more than our share of misogynists and creeps as it is.

Here's a good article in America, the Jesuit magazine.  Check out the comments, too. Read full post »

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that I was listening to Hitchen's book, "God is Not Great" on CD's.  I had seen a not-very-adulatory review on Commonweal and was intrigued.

 Well, I've finished the CD's and the review is right...mostly.  But I still recommend the book.

The material… Read full post »

"Evolution:  What happens when 'scientists' make monkeys of themselves"

 Now that's funny, I don't care who you are. Read full post »

A few days ago, I read a review on Commonweal online of Christopher Hitchen's book, "God is Not Great".  If you check the link, you'll see that the reviewer doesn't think much of Hitchen's book but I was intrigued.  A day or two later I found the book on CD at… Read full post »

My interest in early Christian history and the development of the Bible has prompted me to actually read a bit of it.  (I'll address my reluctance to read it in another post.)

 First, there are TWO creation stories.  How come nobody ever mentioned this to me?  This seems to me to… Read full post »

but, to be truthful, I don't have a clue as to why.

A couple of months ago, I found out that that library in Oberlin has those Great Lectures series on CD's.  I do a lot of driving around in my work, so I started checking them out.  First, a series… Read full post »

Here's a very readable set of point-counterpoint articles from Commonweal.  As you'll see, it's a few years old but still topical. 

BTW, Commonweal is a great mag for folks of my ilk. Read full post »

[Ed. note:  The draft of this post was sitting way back in my backlog.  Ergo the span of time between Part Un and Part Deaux.]

I was going on a few months back, wondering whether it's in our own interests as faithful liberals to play nice.

 Let's face it, we're… Read full post »

I've mentioned, I think, that my wife is the Methodist minister here in town.  As such, she generally has a part in our Memorial Day ceremonies, saying a prayer at the cemetery before the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts place wreaths on the graves. 

 We all meet at the town… Read full post »

to all the men and women who have given their lives so I can go to church where I want to, live where I want to, travel when and where I want to, vote for whom I want to,  and write annoying letters to the editor whenever I want to. Read full post »