The Little Friar

It may seem odd to most, but Ash Wednesday has always been one of the most important days of the church year to my spirituality.  Lent provided me time to stop and reflect -- intentionally to pray about my own sin (usually busy-ness) and ponder the meaninglessness of my own work.  Without the Spirit, pastoral work simply doesn't make sense and isn't possible over the long term. So it's probably not a surprise that Ash Wednesday is one of the liturgical acts I miss most.  Ash Wednesday was such a formative experience on my pastoral ministry, precisely because of its intimacy.  I recall, as a grad student, ministering ashes to one of my profs.  That pastoral act was a humbling, intimate experience that shaped me in ways I never realized at the time. And its therefore one of the pastoral acts I most miss. I was reflecting this year on that, and wrote the following poem.

I first read Matthew Vines' God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case for Same-Sex Relationships soon after it was published in 2015.  I was excited to read it, in light of the 2012 video that had made its rounds on social media from the author on some of the same themes. Like I said, I was excited to read the book.  I had huge hopes that he would do for a new generation what Is the Homosexual My Neighbor? had done in 1977 -- offer a clear evangelical voice to the discussion about the nature of human relationships from an evangelical perspective. In the end, however, I was let down.  I had hoped that Vines would give us a far more compelling theological foundation.  He didn't.  Instead, he absolutized his experience as the theological argument in support of "same-sex relationships".  In retrospect, I probably shouldn't have been too surprised of the let-down.  I've come to realize that so long as Christians have a sexual ethic that merely a...

I've been reflecting on the accusation often made against the Christian universalism to which I hold (and which I've laid out in several books, beginning with The Fire and the Rose ).  After all, what could possibly be more liberal -- more accepting and politically correct -- than insisting that there's no such thing as eternal punishment in the fires of hell and everlasting salvation for every person, ever? To be sure, there are squishy, politically correct visions of universalism, the belief that we're all on different religious paths journeying up the same mountain.  That liberal notion that "All roads lead to God". But this universalism -- I'm going to call it mine just for simplicity's sake -- is not one of those.  I've come to call it a confessional ( or evangelical) universalism .  In my vision, Jesus Christ really is the Lord of History.  Jesus is the Door, and the only door, through which the sheep can enter the sheepfold.  Ther...

From the Hoosoyo (Prayer of Forgiveness) of the Maronite liturgy for the First Weekday Cycle of Lent (and thus celebrated on Ash Monday and, when liturgies are celebrated on Ash Wednesday in Maronite Churches, for Ash Wednesday as well): O Christ, Lover of all people, you gave the Church the holy season of Lent as a shield of protection and a healing remedy.  Your fasting and sacrifices taught us to fast, and to understand the purpose and essence of life, the meaning of the world and its existence, and the greatness of your love and compassion.  Shower your mercy on all people that they may repent, and soften their hearts that they may return to you, know you, and love you.

I have never really given much of my own ink spilled for thoughts about Karl Barth's alleged affair or John Howard Yoder's sexual abuse , but both of those realities have tainted how I read the theologians' very important work.  I've never sworn off use of Church Dogmatics or The Politics of Jesus , but I do believe serious questions have to be asked and answered by theologians who use the work of Barth or Yoder often and with any ethical commitments to the Gospel. To be honest, that's probably because I never confronted their sin of the abuse of power and sex in any real way. But the report that surfaced over the weekend about John Vanier's sexual sin have had me caught in the grips of grief -- and to be honest, existential questioning -- since comments first arose Saturday.  Vanier, I (like so many others) now believe, initiated sexual relations with at least six (non-disabled) women, usually in the context of spiritual friendship/direction as a pastora...

The autumn leaves are falling brown and dusty on the road, the winter chill is beating like a hammer on the brain, the sun perhaps forever-lost is hiding, veiled by cloud. A dull and aching boredom rules, worse than any pain, and time -- the word is inexact, but we may call it 'time' -- time is bare, oppressive; it smothers the sublime. We itch to walk and wander, inquire, think, and ponder -- we itch but do not scratch, for where is there to journey when the sameness never ceases (brown below and gray above) and life in bits and pieces knows not peace nor joy nor love? All drained of every color, now fades life and light, and all without reprieve await an all-elusive night. Yet in a little building, quiet, tucked away, a little light of day through dismal day is breaking, a single subtle ray of sunlight bright and pure like water to the thirsty, to the ill a cure: like bread plain and unobtrusive yet of endless grace diffusive, like red wine upon ...

Someone asked that I write a prayer of intercession to be used in their congregational liturgy for Sunday morning that addressed the division we see in our current American cultural climate.  This is what I wrote.  Text is bold is meant for congregational response.

I had an idea today -- write the most romantic poem ever, using the first line of the most romantic poems ever.  Here is the product of my imaginations.  My poetry nerd friends will probably roast me tomorrow.

Now here's the kind of thinking we could do with more of. This is Paul Tillich preaching in a University Chapel on the text "What is Truth?"  He finishes with these words: Distrust every claim for truth where you do not see truth united with love; and be certain that you are of the truth and that the truth has taken hold of you only when love has taken hold of you and has started to make you free from yourselves. Imagine being told that as you come to the end of a worship service.  That you can get a handle on who you are and what your life is about if you take seriously the connection between truth and love.  How does that work?  Well here's Tillich earlier in the same sermon: If you seriously ask the question, 'Am I of the truth?', you are of the truth.  If you do not ask it seriously, you do not really want, and you do not deserve, and you cannot get, an answer!  He who asks seriously the question of the truth that liberates is already on the way ...

The life and thought of Dietrich Bonhoeffer persists as an essential and critical voice even seventy five years after his death.  There are so many reasons to pay attention to the occasional writings and speakings of Bonhoeffer; but in our time of fractious politics, slow and sometimes blatant power grabs, growing support for right wing populism and uncritical adulation of the strong leader, it is the radically uncompromising call and cost of discipleship in following Jesus that challenges Christian communities to decide where ultimate allegiance lies.  This is Bonhoeffer the pastor, preaching a Confirmation sermon in 1938. The date is essential context, and the words are explosive in their political as well as theological and spiritual reverberations: You have only one master now ... But with this 'yes' to God belongs just as clear a 'no.'  Your 'yes' to God requires your 'no' to all injustice, to all evil, to all lies, to all oppression and violat...

Tikkun Olam is the humane and humanizing Hebrew phrase.  It is also a moral principle to inspire, guide and enable gestures of redemption, acts of mercy, plans for constructive renewal, commitment to the common good, and much, much more. It is a rich, fertile, flexible but focused phrase.  The popular translation is "to repair the world". The current political divisions tearing through the political and cultural landscape of Western democracies have not become fissures overnight.  The subterranean pressures and forces have been building for a long time, weakening the protective layers of decency, trust, the common good, love of freedom, mercy and care for the vulnerable, inter-cultural co-operation and understanding. In the past few years those fissures have opened and out of them have poured some of the most damaging substances for our human future.  The normalization of lying; the prevalence of divisive speech; building cruelty into systems of assessment for so...

I've been training as a theologian for 30 years now.  Of course that's on a fairly generous definition of what a theologian is, and what theology is.  Still, it's true enough that for all of that time I've thought about God, spoken to and with God, praised God and been mad at God, trusted God and been troubled by God.  All of which makes me a theologian even if I had never opened a book. But I have opened books.  Hundreds of them.  I've learned theology and taught theology; I've read it, written it, preached it, prayed it, sung it and most times have loved it.  Because theology is just what the word says:  God-talk.  Words about God and words spoken to God -- and words and the Word spoken by God.  My faith has deep roots in my own experience, but that experience is in turn embodied in a community, and that community is sourced and resourced from within its own story, traditions and convictions, going back to where that story started, in the...

John Perkins' He Calls Me Friend:  The Healing Power of Friendship in a Lonely World argues that forging relationships is the antidote for the poison of racism.  "We are living in historic times", he writes.  "Not since the civil rights movement of the '60s has our country been this vigorously engaged in the reconciliation conversation.   There is a great opportunity right now for culture to change, to be a more perfect union."  Perkins' book is part of Moody Publishers' Salt + Light initiative, which creates church resources linked to its books about racial reconciliation.   The book is a retrospective of Perkins' life as a civil rights leader, and explores the importance of friendship in overcoming the divisions that mark our world -- particularly divisions along racial and social lines. Ever the leader, Perkins calls us to task.  This is an important book that really should not be missed. ____________________ I receiv...

Robert Waligurski's Beware of Hypocrisy:  Who Is Teaching Us What? is a brief book that intends to explore what difference reading the Bible makes for doctrinal formulation.  Unfortunately, though, the book is based on some shoddy historical understanding of the way Christians have thought about the Bible in order to explore doctrine in the Church's history.  Upon that shoddy foundation Waligurski then constructs a paper house that he then tears down. Waligurski goes on a postmodern crusade of his own, to demonstrate that hypocritical nature of the Catholic Church in a variety of ways -- from the priesthood and other sacraments to the nature of doctrinal infallibility.  In the end, the book is a warped theological exposition of a false and warped misunderstanding of Church history. I had such high hopes for this book based on its title and description.  In the end, I was seriously let down by both the shoddy arguments but also the poor theological exegesis ...

Brian Smith's Grief 2 Growth:  Planted, Not Buried explores one topic that none of us can avoid but nearly no one feels equipped to address:  Grief.  Grief that ranges from the expected death of an elderly parent to the raw shocking grief of the death of a child.  Whether we are the griever or the one trying to provide comfort, this is now my go-to resource.  The author, Brian Smith, writes from experience and from the heart.  He doesn't waste time with flowery descriptions, or "filler".  He knows -- first-hand -- what works for a person deep in grief and best practices for those who want to provide comfort.   Most of us can not sit down and focus on reading a lengthy book when in the throes of grief.  Smith knows this and has provided direct, precise, guidance and hope in a book easily read within an hour.  It's a must-read. _____________________ I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange fo...

Brandon O'Brien's Not From Around Here:  What Unites Us, What Divides Us, and How We Can Move Forward brings a pastoral heart together with a keen sociological mind to explore the influence our backgrounds (where we're from) can have on how we relate to one another, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ.  A highly relevant book, difficult to put down, written by a gifted storyteller.  He does this by telling his own story which is the majority of the book.  He gives some facts and figures but concentrates on his own story hoping it will help readers understand rural and urban areas.  He grew up in Bentonville, Arkansas (a dry county).  He studied and worked in suburban Wheaton, Illinois (where Christians served beer and wine at every gathering).  He is now in Manhatten.  While I appreciate learning the best way to catch crawfish and the right way to board a Manhatten bus, I would have preferred stories from a variety of peo...

Jerome Lubbe's Whole-Identity:  A Brain-Based Enneagram Model for (W)holistic Human Thriving is a creative look at the popular Enneagram from the perspective of neuroscience.   Lubbe introduces an unparalleled, science-based method to view our identity through a truly unique model -- "The Brain-Based Enneagram". I was first introduced to the Enneagram as a seminary student and have taken the "type" testing several times in a variety of contexts since.  Lubbe's approach is the most creative and attempts to look beyond one's "type" toward a more wholistic approach, including the role that neuroscience plays in each aspect measured by the Enneagram. For those looking for a richer approach to the Enneagram, I whole-heartedly recommend this workbook. ______________________ I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review here.  

Why Do We Say Goodnight? is an imaginatively beautifully illustrated picture book for children about why we can rest easy at night knowing that God is always there. This book follows a little girl and her mother at bedtime, as the mother comforts her daughter by telling her of the Great Shepherd who never leaves our sides -- even when we sleep.  The little girl is afraid of nighttime and the dark, but she soon learns that God is not limited by the dark, since he made both light and dark, she can trust him to keep her safe.  Original, simple, yet so powerful, with excellent presentation opening up a great conversation about God and how he watches over us, and we can put our trust in him.  This is a book bound to become a nightly tradition for families. ____________________ I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review here.

Henry Says Good-Bye tells the important spiritual lesson of Henry the Hedgehog.  Henry has a ladybug for a friend, and eventually the ladybug dies, leaving Henry very sad.  This book is about dealing with loss and sadness.  This book is based on the model of biblical counseling utilized by the Christian Counseling Education Foundation (CCEF).  It is centered upon Christ and His Word, and this children's story is a fine example of it.  Parents and children will certainly benefit from this book as it teaches how the Lord Jesus provides help and hope in the midst of sadness and loss. The illustrations are phenomenal.  The story is wonderful and a great tool for parents in teaching their little ones how to deal with loss. I highly recommend this book to every parent for every child.  There's no doubt that both parents and children will benefit greatly from this story and the tools that are included in the book.  Buy this book and disciple your ...

Gus Loses His Grip is an important book to help Christian comprehend and practice perspective on the important things in life. Gus the raccoon loves everything sweet.  But instead of being satisfied when he gets a sweet treat, he keeps wanting more and more.  Even when his family reads the Easter story from the Great Book, Gus is distracted by the sweets he craves.  Gus has lost his grip on what’s really important in life. With the help of his family, Gus is able to trade his sweet tooth for something even sweeter -- an appreciation of the sweet things he has in life. Bible verses are used within this cute story and feel a little forced at times, but are still effective.  Adorable characters and vivid illustrations enhance the experience.  Helpful tips for a child who's stuck in the "I Wantsies" is included at the end of the book. This is a must-have for parents and Sunday School teachers! ____________________ I received a free copy of this book from th...