http://quicktolisten.org Wed, 28 May 2008 15:56:32 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en by Jim Burklo If Barack Obama asked me to endorse him, I'd have to excommunicate him for his own good. That's my conclusion after the messy consequences of Rev. Jeremiah Wright's association with Obama, and of Pastor John Hagee's proclaimed support for John McCain.  The gonzological utterances of these pastors have given ... http://quicktolisten.org/archives/103 by Robert K. Martin This is the third blog in a series I’ve called “Being church”. In this series I’ve tried to describe how church is actually a verb. When Christians gather together, we are not ‘church’ because we call ourselves a church or because we belong to a congregation or ... http://quicktolisten.org/archives/102 by David Bartlett I frequently mutter about writing outraged letters to the media but seldom do anything about it.  However after the Democratic debate in Pennsylvania on ABC I not only sent off an immediate e-mail I signed an angry petition the next day, and if anybody had sent me more petitions, ... http://quicktolisten.org/archives/101 by Jarrett McLaughlin What makes the Bible such an interesting collection of writings is also what makes them so maddeningly frustrating at times.  The fact that the Bible holds together so many different documents and different theological perspectives is precisely what makes it so timeless.  At times, however, the more peculiar ... http://quicktolisten.org/archives/100 by Robert K. Martin A decisive moment in my shift to understanding church as a verb, as enacted, as an incarnational reality, occurred as we were tromping through the wilderness. Literally. In the middle of a North Carolina forest near Ashville, I had taken a group of divinity students on a ... http://quicktolisten.org/archives/99 by Mona Eltahawy The second real Muslim was elected to Congress last month. I say “real” because Andre Carson, a Democrat who won a special election in Indiana to replace his grandmother who represented the state in Congress for 11 years until her death in December 2007, is not a closet or ... http://quicktolisten.org/archives/98 by David Bartlett A few weeks ago I spent a few minutes reading yet another review of the recent works of the evangelical atheists—Harris, Dawkins and Hitchens.  Now I have not read any of the books being reviewed, though I’ve read essays by each of those authors. My general sense was that their ... http://quicktolisten.org/archives/97 by Susan Andrews The Season of Passion has always been the most significant rhythm of the year for me as a spiritual pilgrim. One of my earliest memories of the church is sitting in the three hour Good Friday service – my Dad preaching one of the “seven last words” – ... http://quicktolisten.org/archives/96 by Jessica Tate  It is a complicated week in the life of the church.  A Holy Week, but a week that involves many things, with many mixed emotions.    There’s the excitement of Palm Sunday.  Jesus enters Jerusalem and crowds gather to welcome him, to put down their cloaks, to shout hosanna, blessed is ... http://quicktolisten.org/archives/95 by Jim Burklo Nothing is more effective at turning a person into a theologian than witnessing somebody else's personal crisis. Recently, I lost my job, or my job lost me.  I'm still not sure which description is more accurate.  In any case, it's my first experience with unemployment.   I'm blessed with very ... http://quicktolisten.org/archives/94 by Jarrett McLaughlin Last week, the session at my Church had the privilege of examining a young woman who was seeking our endorsement for Inquirer status within the Presbytery.  While some may see this as a burdensome requirement of Presbyterian polity, I like to think of it as one of the ... http://quicktolisten.org/archives/93 by Meg Peery McLaughlin Having recently been ordained in the Presbyterian Church (USA), I pay attention at Presbytery meetings when new ministers are being questioned for ordination or transfer. Two confessions about my attentiveness:   1. I’m glad it is them and not me up there. It’s intense.  2. Code words from the new minister’s statement ... http://quicktolisten.org/archives/92 By Mona Eltahawy When I first moved from Egypt to the US in the summer of 2000, my then-husband – an American from whom I am now divorced – offered to drive me to the neighborhood mosque. He had looked it up so that he could take me there when I ... http://quicktolisten.org/archives/91 by Robert Martin Just last week, I returned from a 3 week trip to Nepal. Yes, that Nepal, one of the poorest countries in the world, sandwiched between India and China, split from its spiritual cousin, Tibet, by the towering majesty of Mount Everest and the rest of the Himalayan range. ... http://quicktolisten.org/archives/90 by Tom Are Jim Burklo got me thinking. In his most recent post (Progressive Christian Elevator Speeches) he identifies the difficulty congregations have these days in knowing how to talk about ourselves.  Even more difficult is talking about ourselves in a way that makes sense to the community at large.  We ... http://quicktolisten.org/archives/89 by David Bartlett For a few days earlier this month I divided my time between my official job in Decatur,  Georgia and the New Baptist Covenant celebration in Atlanta.  The celebration had been planned by President Jimmy Carter and several other distinguished Baptists as an attempt to bring many Baptists together ... http://quicktolisten.org/archives/88 by Susan Andrews Nine years ago – when I was 49 – I experienced the gift of a three month sabbatical. After 25 years of ministry and 25 years of marriage and 22 years of parenting, I was ready for a break. And so I put together 10 weeks of exploration ... http://quicktolisten.org/archives/87 by Fred Weidmann The continuing relevance of the great blues song, Stormy Monday, popularized by T. Bone Walker and re-popularized by the Allman Brothers and—on any given weekend—by various bar bands across the country, is self-evident.  But what might it mean?  One listens to the narrator’s voice work through the (fatalistic?) ... http://quicktolisten.org/archives/85 by Jim Burklo Since The Center for Progressive Christianity came into being in 1994, it has succeeded in widely spreading the term "progressive Christian" around the world.  It embraces a pluralistic spirituality, inclusion of people who have been traditionally excluded from the church, openness to metaphorical interpretations of Christian tradition, and ... http://quicktolisten.org/archives/84 by Steve Rankin "Kingdom of God” may well be one of the most common phrases in Christian parlance.  According to the Gospel accounts, it was on Jesus’ mind and tongue a lot.  A whole generation (at least) of theologians, church leaders and members sought to “bring in” the Kingdom by applying ... http://quicktolisten.org/archives/83