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On the “Guaranteed Appointment”
Many United Methodist clergy are feeling some wonder at how a recent decision by General Conference to end the tradition of “guaranteed appointments” for clergy might affect their futures. Some see hope and others don’t. And many see a broken promise.
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Being More Christian: Loving the LGBT Community
I’ve been a member of a church my whole life. My grandfather was a pastor, his brother was a pastor, and there were others before them. And now I’m a pastor. I serve a fairly large church in Grand Island, Nebraska. The good life. On a stick. I’m also a United Methodist. My grandfather & […]
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Mainline Hope
In the midst of membership decline among many mainline denominations, there’s hope & possibility.
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Wesley’s Quadrilateral & Arizona’s Immigration Law
Wesley’s Quadrilateral is applied to the recently signed immigration law in Arizona…
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Politics in the Pulpit
So yesterday I preached on Acts 11:1-18 (Peter’s vision that prompted him to preach to the Gentiles) and John 13:31-35 (Jesus gives the disciples a new commandment: to love one another). In it, I applied the idea of “love in action” to the new immigration law in Arizona. I have to admit that I was […]
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Podcast: 5th Sunday after Easter, 2010
Here’s a conversation I had with three UMC clergy from the Cal-Pac Conference on the upcoming Lectionary scripture. The verses can be read at the Vanderbilt Divinity Library. Voices heard are Rev. Krista Givens, Rev. Molly Vetter, Rev. J. Dan Lewis, and me! This is a “first-attempt” episode, so if you like it please forward a link to […]
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A Methodist & an Atheist Walk Into a Bar…
I’ve had some ongoing dialogue with an atheist (I’ve also heard the phrase non-theist) friend of mine. Yesterday he posted on my Facebook page a Daily Beast article quoting Orange County Pastor Wiley Drake who appears to be calling for the deaths of Congress members – and perhaps others – who support health care reform […]