One of this week’s Scriptures has always troubled me. In Matthew 15.21-28 Jesus is a jerk – kind of a racist jerk. This raises a lot of questions. First, we have to wonder if it really happened. Jesus first ignores the Canaanite woman’s needs and then calls her a dog. That’s not nice. Jesus is nice. We know that from …
Depression and Suicide: Beyond Buzzfeed
The death of Robin Williams this week has brought a ton of information about depression and suicide bubbling to the top of social networks and message boards and content aggregators. That’s probably a good thing. Much of the power that drives a person to that point and keeps one from asking for help is the feeling that one is alone, …
The Cleanse
Some of you might know that I started a 21-day cleanse diet on Monday. This is probably not “church news,” but I wanted to explain some of my thinking because I am looking at it as a spiritual practice. I should start by explaining what it is. It is vegan, but that’s not all. It also eschews alcohol, caffeine, carbs, …
It’s a Miracle. Or Not.
As promised, we’re done with the Apostle Paul for a bit. I hope that we have gained a more generous view of Paul that acknowledges his deep love for a gospel of justice and peace even where his writing can, at times, be problematic. Now we’re going back to the Gospels, so more stories and less jibber-jabber. Specifically, we are …
The Eternal Becoming
One of my developing theses in this section on the Apostle Paul is that his hopes were bigger than he was. His view of the possibilities for his world and his faith was constrained. For example, we have seen how his understanding of physiology shaped his views of what it means to live a spiritual life. For Paul, equality operates …
Loose Screws Sink Shelves
One of the things I think we have all noticed in reading Paul’s Letter to the Romans is a kind of divisiveness. Paul is very concerned to draw distinctions, such as those who live according to the Flesh as opposed to the Spirit. We see something similar in the language of the Matthew passages we have been following. Especially in …
The Gospel According to Spike
Since it always works out for characters in the Bible, let’s go to the well one more time. Our discussion of Buffy last week focused primarily on sin and the psyche. We talked about the interior struggle for identity and integrity that this bit of pop culture mythologizes so well. However, there is another side to the show that highlights …
The Gospel According to Buffy
I am a big fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I have watched the entire series, including the Angel spin-off, about six times. I’m watching it again now. Part of that is comfort; I know the show and know that I will enjoy it, so it’s easy to put on when I just want to relax. However, when I want …
Vote for New Space and New Board
We would like to announce two votes that are currently open. You may vote by emailing board@churchinthecliff.org. See below for details on each vote. Vote #1: If you agree to empower the board to negotiate in good faith and sign a lease for the building at 1719 W. 10th Ave., vote, “Yes.” If not, vote, “No.” Vote #2: If you …
The Freedom to Be Formed
We have just passed Juneteenth and we are quickly approaching the Fourth of July, so freedom is on our minds. Perhaps it is always on our minds as freedom-loving Americans. And we are a Baptist church (it’s true!), so freedom is at the heart of who we are. However, Paul did not write in a time of freedom. Everyone lived …