American Atheist: An Oxymoron?
Before you get all excited about the Pew Research results and begin thinking that the rising number of those who report no religious affiliation means a more rational approach to all things religious, think again. Yesterday’s release of research by the Public Religion Research Institute shows that fifty-two percent of the American population (52%) believe […]
The Complexities of Language: Atheist
On Sunday, I shared the following with my congregation. You’ll get the point as you read it. It has to do with the pastoral care of the congregation, as you’ll see, but it may also be a helpful piece for you to share with others as you have the conversation about beliefs, perspectives, and the […]
Culture Change – Bahro
This was taken off the coast of the Great Ocean Road in 2010. It was a wonderful trip. And those who, throughout my entire journey, have modeled that ability to face insecurity without fear, well, they are my heroes and with me every day.
What I learned at the American Humanist Association’s Annual Conference
A few days before Mother’s Day, I headed to Denver for the 74th Annual Conference of the American Humanist Association’s Annual Conference. I, along with three other Directors of The Clergy Project (TCP), were sharing the work of TCP, each of us introducing a different aspect of the many realities faced by clergy caught in the […]
You’re In(vited)!
The latest Pew Research report has some amazing statistics in it. Almost every headline has been about the incredible losses being sustained by Christianity across the board. The evangelicals are putting a positive face on it by referring to the remaining righteous remnant. We in the liberal church did that twenty years ago. The graphs could be […]
Confronting the Unbelievers
The United Church Observer, a magazine that explores issues relevant to The United Church of Canada (UCC) and its members from an arm’s length position, has drop-kicked the conversation on whether clergy who no longer believe have a place in the UCC’s pulpits. Confronting the Unbelievers was published in its May issue.* It is a conversation that […]
Shucking God: Interview with a Non-Believer
Almost two months ago, Presbyterian minister, John Shuck, posted a guest blog on Hemant Mehta’s Friendly Atheist Patheos Blog. It was titled, I’m a Presbyterian Minister Who Doesn’t Believe in God. I was delighted. It is always a celebration when someone comes and stands in the field with you. And it’s humbling to have that someone […]
The Church of Gleaned Practices
There is a group currently meeting in Houston that calls its members “spiritual naturalists”. They are, for the most part, people who do not believe in doctrinal claims of any religious sort, but who have noticed that the act of everyday living seems to demand something more from them. So they get together twice a […]
semantics sleight of hand
For the past many years, I’ve been struggling against the power of the Christian story within the traditional church and outside of it. Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Baha’i, and so many other religious streams ply stories of a cosmology that includes either a deity residing in a supernatural realm or a life that is more (or […]
abomination
Who really uses that word anymore? Really? Andy Oudman of Talk 1290 in London, Ontario, that’s who. A listener had alerted me to Oudman’s remarks about the United Church yesterday and said that the radio host planned to return to the topic today. So when he began to talk about the inappropriateness of my leading […]
in love, we all belong
I have totally fallen off my “hymn rewrite a week”, but here is one I had written a few weeks ago but didn’t introduce to West Hill until this past Sunday. Yeah, I know. It makes you want to swing a stein as you’re singing the chorus, but I didn’t write the music! The tune […]
the atheist minister – a faithstreet feature
Thank you, Becky Garrison, FaithStreet journalist, for the wonderful feature article, The Atheist Minister, she wrote. Here are her opening words: “Gretta Vosper describes herself as both a minister and an atheist. That may sound like an oxymoron to some, but her work and witness offer a model that speaks to those who no longer believe […]
with or without god goes uk
It’s been two years in the making and the dates are drawing near but the question still needs to be asked. Are there enough people in the United Kingdom that care about religion or what’s becoming of Christianity for me to bother heading over there to speak about innovations in the practice of church? Even […]
canada day letter to john baird
After reading a pair of articles sent to me by a West Hill member living in Taiwan, one on LGBTQ rights and the infiltration of Christian fundamentalist hysteria into that otherwise tolerant nation and the other on the inclusion of Taiwan on a list of countries deemed “unwelcome” at Canada Day festivities, I decided Canada Day was a […]
what I said … progressive christianity
On a progressive pursuit, in whatever discipline, there must always be the risk of raising one’s consciousness beyond where it had previously been. But a raised consciousness cannot be forced back to what it once was; you move forward on such a journey, not backward. Facebook post, Skeptimergent, May 28 2014
prostitution – yes? no?
The Culture Clash this week brought Charles and I together on a topic that is likely as divisive today as it has been for a thousands of years. Oh, except whenever religion used it as part of their ritual – prostitution. Charles’ position is a widely lauded one: prostitution is exclusively about forcing unwilling women […]
intentionally focused contemplation: prayer beyond belief
Doesn’t it seem like the plethora of interactive electronic means for communication available to us has made it harder and harder for us to make time in our daily schedule to be truly attentive to those things that matter most in our lives: our relationships; the issues that are important to us; the values we […]
on birth certificates and birth control – the culture clash
So, I am called a bully by Charles McVety for suggesting Rob Ford, as mayor of the city hosting World Pride, should attend the festivities but Charles believes he is within the bounds of human sanity for demanding that it is appropriate to deny a woman access to birth control and then force her to […]
the grammys and all that
Faith Goldy and I seared the line between us on today’s Culture Clash as we looked at the weddings performed by Queen Latifa at the Grammy’s earlier this week. Tell me, do you think Satan was conjured by Katy Perry’s antics? Or do you think Satan is a figment of an overly dramatic imagination? Or […]
alone yet not alone
A controversy has erupted over the inclusion of the Christian song “Alone Yet Not Alone” among nominees for Best Song by the Oscar Nominating Committee. Central to the controversy is the fact that the movie (of the same name) is virtually unknown inviting all kinds of queries into how the song got into the short […]