Wandering Elder

A good question was asked in response to my last post about the Defenders (maybe I should talk about comic books some more…).  Before I answer it, let me say that I don’t mean to denigrate the Defenders as a b-team comic.  B-team in this particular context just means that they aren’t the most well-known of heroes in the comic universe (here particular to the Marvel Comic universe).  Being on a b-team is still pretty good.  There were some b-teams that brought some relatively obscure people up from the minor leagues, to be sure (I am here thinking of characters like Dr. Druid or Rocket Racoon – talk about coming from obscurity…Rocket was in the old Hulk comics first long before he was a Guardian of the Galaxy.  Speaking of which, a really odd ball cameo in the Guardian movies is that of Howard the Duck, who had a terrible movie back in 1986). There are some c and d listers as well, but sometimes a character like that can be a major player without ever holdin...

Let's change gears for a post. Let's talk about comics. I just finished watching the Netflix series "The Defenders" based on the Marvel Comic series (that should be plural, I suppose!).  It wasn't bad.  It wasn't great, but it wasn't bad. Here's why it wasn't bad.  It did a good job at pulling the characters together in a short amount of time and resolving the story line in a short amount of time as well.  In some respects, the series was the vehicle for the next seasons of Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Jessica Jones (and probably Iron Fist, but I will get to that in a minute).  It pulled the stories of these heroes together and provided them with direct knowledge of each other and a (mostly) willingness to work together. The Defenders is a tough comic to bring to the screen, large or small.  That's because the more recent iterations of The Defenders focuses on the idea that it is a non-team, but a name that applies to a particular group who...

The Doppler Effect is this: the change in frequency of a sound (or other event) for an observer based on the movement of either the observer or the source.  Most commonly, this is heard when a vehicle with a siren is heard approaching, beside, passing and receding. It is a phenomenon we all experience, and I think it is an important illustration.  Because the sound and the observer or, I suppose, listener, do not actually change.  Just the change of sound or observation based on position.  But that position changes how we interpret the sound: is it close?  Is it moving away from me?  Is it a threat?  Do I need to move? etc. etc. As someone who has driven a fire engine, I know that the siren sounds the same from start to finish.  But that doesn't mean it sounds the same to everyone else as we encounter them. The same is true for theology.  I have found that, especially as I re-read some old books, that the words on the page haven't chang...

I recently read that some far-right writers are making the claim that Sen. John McCain’s brain tumor is the justice of God on the Senator for not backing the President.  Ok.  For a moment, let’s take the politics out of that barbaric statement.  Is it theologically true ?  To answer that, we have to consider the nature of the claim.  As one person wrote, “I’m pretty sure that God is punishing him.”  Why?  “God made it pretty clear that he supports the New Right now.” Of course, how one proves that God is on the side of the New Right is the challenge.  What most of these claims say, the ones that aren’t so offensive that they stagger the mind, is that God has chosen the President as God’s agent of change, which, in the Bible, is usually described as one who is ‘anointed’ or, in translation, ‘messiah.’ That’s a huge claim for any group to make about a President.  It has been made on behalf of a few presidents here and there, but nev...

I haven't written in a while. That's due to a couple of reasons.  First, I wasn't sure what to say. Second, I wasn't sure anyone was listening. That is also reminiscent of my life as a pastor.  There are some weeks where I do not know what to say from the pulpit.  I find it a struggle to compose a sermon.  That, also, has numerous reasons.  For example, I want to be clear, cogent, and relevant.  I also want to honor the text and not project my own ideas and then find scripture to back them up.  I do not want to offend people, but I don't want to be halting or reserved in speaking.  Sometimes I do not wish to share that which is personal.  Other times, I find that the sermon itself is something I do not wish to share because I have, in some cases, had to work very hard to find the relevant words, the point to which I feel I have been led, sometimes with great emotion and soul searching. Then to offer such words is to hand over something ...

Let me start out by saying that Kathy Griffin went too far. I had thought that Stephen Colbert had done so with his opening monologue rant a few weeks ago. But Kathy Griffin left him in the dust. If you haven't seen the picture of her holding the (fake) decapitated head of President Trump, then you haven't been online in the last few days.  It isn't pretty. And it goes too far.  Why?  Well, imagine if someone had done the same thing with President Obama. How would people have reacted?  Charges of racism, hate speech, and so on.  It may not be racist with regard to Trump, but it is hate and it is staggeringly reminiscent of the horrors ISIS has posted as well - their atrocities being far more real than that of Griffin. Sure it was some kind of publicity stunt, but if it was considered a "good idea" or a "really funny" idea, then it goes to show that we as a nation have truly taken leave of our senses. I am all for free speech.  I am not trying t...

A few days ago I found a piece of paper on which I had written a long time ago.  I found myself asking, "Did I really write that?  Did I really feel that way?"  It was a particularly pessimistic piece that reflected a world view I don't quite subscribe to any longer and, some 22+ years later, find difficult to imagine that I did. Though I suppose in some ways, I can.  I can't quite remember the exact way I felt, but I do possibly remember the attitude that viewed society very negatively and pessimistically.  Reading it I find I sound pretty clear in my disdain and the view of the world is both bleak and very black and white.  I do remember thinking in those terms from time to time, but now, so far removed from the time in which I wrote, I have trouble comprehending where I was mentally as I wrote those words. Needless to say I don't quite share the same ideas any more.  Admittedly the pessimism still lurks, but the overall attitude has changed. ...