This post may be a case of “misinterpreting boldly so that the Spirit may come” (Ken Schenck).
Yesterday, as I drove away from seminary to visit my brother in Chicago, I had NPR on the radio. A story that played was a recollection of the lynching that led to song “Strange Fruit.” Although the song speaks about “southern trees” being the hanging trees, this particular famous/infamous lynching occurred in Marion, IN. When I learned that fact, I suddenly felt creepy; Marion, IN is where Wesley Seminary at Indiana Wesleyan University is located. I realize that Marion is a very different place than it was 1930, and few, if any, of the adults who were a part of this crime are alive today, but as an African-American, some things just disturb my spirit.
Lawrence Beitler took what would become the most iconic photograph of lynching in America, the lynching of Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith.
This post is for all my friends who studied the Humanities.
If I could teach a college course, I think it would be fun to teach a course on epic poetry. It would probably be similar to a world mythology course, but for the final paper the student would have to choose an epic poem for the United States, and defend that choice based upon U.S. history, American values, and what we have learned about epic poems over the course of the semester. Continue reading The USA’s Epic Poem→
As I have been considering topics and methodology for teaching Generation Y, I have come to the conclusion that the church, in general, and I specifically, have often been a step behind culturally.
I remember as a child of the 1970s hearing the conflict between older teachers of the church with the youth over rock music, as Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) was invented through groups such as Petra, Love Song and 2nd Chapter of Acts. The problem, as I see it, was that the musical shift had already taken place, otherwise those groups would not have existed. The church was fighting a battle that was already lost. In the 1980s, when I became a teenager, CCM was what our Christian parents preferred we listen to. Continue reading Missing the Cultural Shifts→
I hope this post does not ruin a favorite Jesus story for anyone, but instead broadens the miraculous possibilities. I was reading the story of Jesus feeding the 5000 in Mark 6:35-44, and when I finished, the folk tale Stone Soup came to mind. Continue reading Stone Soup→
When I heard that Pat Robertson attributed the earthquake in Haiti to a curse because they swore a pack with the devil, I was, mildly stated, frustrated. I wondered, on what basis could he make such a statement. In his broadcast he based his opinion upon the following:
Haiti is a poor country, while the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola, is prosperous.
President Barak Obama has used the phrase, “We are choosing hope over fear,” but really the people of the world need both. Throughout history, effective speaking of the good news of Jesus draws two responses, fear and hope. Fear, because of guilt, comes from the realization of our dismal position before blameless God. Hope, because of love, comes from the realization that God, at great pain to himself, has made a way for us move from certain doom to grand destiny. Perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18), but does the message still work if there is no fear? Continue reading Choosing Hope and Fear→
Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead? These are the words of the Apostle Paul to King Agrippa as recorded in Acts 26:8. Considering the beliefs of culture in which he lived, Paul is not defending the idea of resurrection, but the power of God to perform it. The Greco-Roman heroes: Odysseus, Orpheus, and Heracles, all traveled to the underworld and returned. Dionysus’ mythology says he was resurrected. Plato, Socrates and Vergil believed in the transmigration of souls. Reincarnation is not the same as resurrection, but the principle of returning from the dead remains. Paul is essentially saying, “You believe in the possibility heros of returning from the dead, it should not be too incredible to believe that my God has that power.” Continue reading Zombies, Ghouls, and Vampires: Resurrection Propaganda→
Thoughts on Personal and Corporate Spiritual Formation
