Wandering Elder

  In the movie “Avengers: Infinity War,” the on-screen villain of Thanos is depicted, remarkably, as a sympathetic character who is at once a father and a being under utter conviction of the righteousness of his cause: the annihilation of half of the universe.   It is a departure in many cases from the Thanos depicted in the Infinity Gauntlet/Infinity War comic series from Marvel Comics.   Nevertheless, it is a compelling narrative and not without a striking biblical parallel in the patriarch Abraham – in particular the troubling pericope of the intended sacrifice of Isaac. In the book of Genesis, Abraham (originally named Abram) is called by God to “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.” [i]   Abraham is depicted as a devotee of God who will argue with God on behalf of Sodom, [ii] become the promised father of multitudes, [iii] and have children in his advanced age.   In particular, Abraham will...

I have been an admirer of Star Trek for a long time.  I am not as big a fan as some of my friends - I tended to prefer Star Wars, but I wouldn't argue one is better than the other.  They both are wonderful and imaginative worlds in which I enjoyed playing as a child.  When I was young, Star Trek (the original series) was being played in re-runs on Sunday afternoons.  My dad watched it pretty frequently and, therefore, so did I (usually while playing with Star Wars toys - you have to admit, Star Wars did  beat Star Trek on the toy front).  I enjoyed the shows and the special effects were great (remember, I was a kid and easily impressed), as I would also think when I saw some Dr. Who shows from the 70s.  It wouldn't be until later that I began to realize that the effects were not as good as I remembered.  I have no problem with that.  Movies and television shows are always a product of their time, both in their use of technology on and off...

There is an aspect to ministry of which people seldom speak.  Compassion fatigue.  These two words make sense to many of those in caring professions, though we don't hear too much about it.  One of the more succinct definitions is that compassion fatigue is a growing indifference to appeals for aid or assistance on behalf of those who are suffering due to the high frequency of those appeals.  In other words, there comes a point when you are so aware and saturated with requests for help that you find yourself beginning to be less and less compassionate.    This is sometimes called "secondary traumatic stress" or STS where people who have to deal with trauma victims or persons who have experienced some kind of overwhelming issue eventually find their patience and compassion decreasing.  Not only this, but people who suffer from compassion fatigue begin to exhibit symptoms that mirror deep depression: a feeling of hopelessness, a decrease in the abilit...

One of the statements that many Christian radio stations make is that Christians should have a "Biblical world view."  I have to admit that I have never been exactly clear as to what that means or meant.  With Evangelicals shouting more and more that this is the true path of Christianity, it should also be clear as to what this means.  But it isn't. If it is to be understood as a philosophical approach, then the question becomes " which  world view?"  If it is to be a theological approach, then the question is, " which  theology?"  Is it the free grace of God spoken of by Paul?  The faith without works is dead of James?  The Platonic influenced arguments of the letter of Hebrews?  The blessed or cursed life found in Deuteronomic thinking?  Is it the apocalyptic writing of Revelation or the idea found in Daniel that faith in God doesn't require a miracle? If it is to be a literal guide for how we view the world or understand the ...

When I started writing this blog, I thought I would offer a place of introspection, reflection, observation and so on.  I quoted Alan Watts and said that we (meaning the larger human race) are all that we have.  I mean that. I thought I would put a voice out there just to see what might happen.  And it hasn't been what I thought, but it hasn't been bad.  My concern is that I am merely adding to the noise that is out there.  There are so many voices shouting and clamoring for attention.  I find that I wonder if I am making a positive contribution or a negative one or am I simply adding to the sound of the buzz that is social media.  I suppose that the answer lies in what I want  from this blog.  I began to write here as a place to ponder.  I have a friend who writes a monthly post that is well read and well thought out.  I know it takes him some time to write, but I find it worth my time to read.  That was something that...

At some point, we were handed a lie.  And we knew  we were handed a lie.  Then the lie became lies.  And then the lies just grew and grew.  And we knew it.  We talked about it.  We protested.  We called for action.  But at some point, the liars gained legitimacy and de-legitimized truth or speaking against liars.  Words that had power began to be thrown around like dodge-balls.  Words like treason, nuclear, shutdown, and power.  And the more these words were thrown around, the more words like honor, tradition, integrity, and honesty became victims of the overabundance of lies.  Until it began to feel as if nothing really matters anymore, and there is no one coming to our rescue.  Except, perhaps, ourselves.  If we would.   But don't look for that any time soon.  We have already adapted to the fiasco that is the presidential administration of the last year.  We have already begun to rea...

One of the things I do when I have to drive long distances is to listen to evangelical Christian radio on AM stations.  I do this sometimes to hear the theology (or lack thereof), or to hear the direction apologetics have taken (apologietics means the arguments in defense of particular positions of faith).  I sometimes find them interesting and thought provoking.  I mostly find them troubling and find that the "reasonable" arguments they put forward are not quite as strong as they think. Which, of course, makes me very careful in my own preaching.  I don't want to make the same kind of straw man arguments, or to base an argument on "logic" when it is, in fact, based on "tradition" or, worse, "emotion." So today, as I was listening raptly, I heard the radio teacher say, citing Romans, that the believer is one who "truly believes" in Jesus.  (the individual was speaking about Romans 3:21-26 among other passages like Ephesians 2:8)...