Monday, July 26, 2010
ER's Occasional VBS 3
Time for a song!
I remember singing "Onward Christian Soldiers" as a wee lad in Vacation Bib;e School. I reject that hymn now for its militarization of the faith.
That's puts me in the minority of Christians now, and in a teen-tiny itty-bitty minority throughout history. But I don't care.
So, here's a song that I cannot hear without tearing up. The lyrics are awesome, the music beautiful -- and the dude singing, even he I find lovely in all his goofy humanity.
David Crowder, "How He Loves."
--ER
I remember singing "Onward Christian Soldiers" as a wee lad in Vacation Bib;e School. I reject that hymn now for its militarization of the faith.
That's puts me in the minority of Christians now, and in a teen-tiny itty-bitty minority throughout history. But I don't care.
So, here's a song that I cannot hear without tearing up. The lyrics are awesome, the music beautiful -- and the dude singing, even he I find lovely in all his goofy humanity.
David Crowder, "How He Loves."
--ER
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
ER's Occasional VBS 2
When I was a wee ER, we also pledged allegiance to the Bible:I pledge allegiance to the Bible,
God's Holy Word.
I will make it a light unto my path
and a lamp unto my feet
and will hide its Word's in my heart
that I might not sin against God.
Amen.
That was before we learned to use the Bible as a blunt instrument with which to strike down others in the name of Christ.
"The Bible is God's gift to the church," the United Church of Christ notes, "to be read for our instruction and comfort, but we often use it as a hammer to strike down the arguments of our opponents, or even to exclude each other from the Body of Christ. Right interpretation of Scripture necessarily includes right living, that is, we cannot hear God's word in the Bible if our minds and hearts are closed to each other."
Today, I salute the Holy Bible with affection, reverence and devotion to the Good News of the Gospel, the Word of God and Savior to whom it attests.
--ER
Thursday, July 15, 2010
ER's Occasional VBS 1
Welcome, y'all. You've all been led in and are standing.First, the nonpledge to the Christian flag. I don't think there should be such a thing as a Christian flag. So I offer no pledge. But I do offer this to think about:
A Christian rainbow flag. My pledge is to Grace, and freedom, and to the idea for which this flag seems to stand: Full acceptance of gay and lesbian Christians into the full fellowship of church and Christian life.
This is the traditional pledge to the Christian flag:
I pledge allegiance to the Christian Flag
and to the Savior for whose kingdom it stands.
One brotherhood, uniting all mankind
in service and love.
Both flags can go hang. It's the ideas behind them that matters.
But -- but, but! -- do we, are we called to have allegience to the Savior? Or to the Savior's messaage? Or should our yays be yays and our nays be nays?
I just know that any pledge of allegience is a setup for a fight, either offensive or defensive -- and I don't know how to reconcile any declaration of readiness to fight against the Gospel.
--ER
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Dawkins, Spong and me at dinner
That would be cool.
I'm about halfway through "The God Delusion," and I find myself wanting to reread some Spong.
Dawkins happens to be dwelling on the idea of "body" versus "soul" or "spirit" -- that of individuals, I mean -- and I want to read more on what I consider the clearer promise of the Christian faith, which is not that we have souls that live on after our bodies have died, but is this: that all of our individual selves, whatever they are, will be resurrected when Push comes to Shove.
Talking about it with Dawkins and Spong over beer and barbecue (North Carolina style, in honor of Bishop Spong), would be fun.
--ER
I'm about halfway through "The God Delusion," and I find myself wanting to reread some Spong.
Dawkins happens to be dwelling on the idea of "body" versus "soul" or "spirit" -- that of individuals, I mean -- and I want to read more on what I consider the clearer promise of the Christian faith, which is not that we have souls that live on after our bodies have died, but is this: that all of our individual selves, whatever they are, will be resurrected when Push comes to Shove.
Talking about it with Dawkins and Spong over beer and barbecue (North Carolina style, in honor of Bishop Spong), would be fun.
--ER
Saturday, July 10, 2010
It's official: I am disappointed in President Obama
Still shudder to think of the alternative.
But dang.
Once again, we are reminded why electing senators as president is not a great idea.
--ER
But dang.
Once again, we are reminded why electing senators as president is not a great idea.
--ER
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
What's copied on your copy-and-paste?
In the comments, hit "paste." And then splain yourself if you can. LOL
Mine:
"We had a hooker living next door... called Buckwheat Bertha who would ... "
I was looking for a quote from "Sister Act" to comment on Facebook. LOL
Yours?
--ER
Mine:
"We had a hooker living next door... called Buckwheat Bertha who would ... "
I was looking for a quote from "Sister Act" to comment on Facebook. LOL
Yours?
--ER
Friday, July 02, 2010
I need the MacArthur Genius Award
Somebody who knows somebody who knows somebody should get me nominated for the Genius Award.
The result:
A book on how the first "Indian" newspaper published in the Choctaw Nation wasn't really "Indian"; a book on how if the U.S. Senate hadn't hiccupped in December 1876 the Sioux reservations would have been in Oklahoma; and a chicken-fried rewrite of the Five Gospels. :-)
And, for gravy, I'd write Erudite Redneck: An Autobiography!
About The Genius Award.
--ER
The result:
A book on how the first "Indian" newspaper published in the Choctaw Nation wasn't really "Indian"; a book on how if the U.S. Senate hadn't hiccupped in December 1876 the Sioux reservations would have been in Oklahoma; and a chicken-fried rewrite of the Five Gospels. :-)
And, for gravy, I'd write Erudite Redneck: An Autobiography!
About The Genius Award.
--ER
