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Posts from the ‘Church’ Category

Oct 3

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Amy Laura’s 3 Apocryphal Rules of Divorce

In March, 2011, I separated from my husband of twenty-one years, and I hosted a national, interfaith conference on torture.  This week, as it happens, while working to complete a special issue about torture for the journal Muslim World, I have received several messages from former students asking for suggestions about preaching on divorce.  The lectionary that United Methodists share slots Mark 10: 2-16 as our Gospel this Sunday and, in this passage, Jesus explicitly prohibits divorce.  His words are so stark that the disciples query him again in private; surely they had misheard him?  Jesus explains that anyone who remarries after divorce commits adultery. Read more

Aug 10

Why I love Pussy Riot and will not be seeing Magic Mike

So, in case you have had your nose stuck in the Prima Pars of the Summa this summer, and are wondering why I have so rudely used the word “pussy” in a blog post, perhaps begin with this explanation here.  As someone who has been known to raise a ruckus in front of a religious icon (namely, Duke Chapel) with minimal cost to my own hide, I am impressed by these women.  I hope to be more like them when I grow up. Read more

Jul 31

Born to Be Brave: Resisting a Culture of Domination

I have avoided this tangled snarl of questions and observations for four reasons.  1) 9/11 is a lose/lose topic.  There is no way to speak without offense.  2)  I have run into some friction when I have suggested that U.S. sponsored torture has anything to do with race.  To suggest that anything that is not obviously, blatantly, unqualifiedly about race is, nonetheless, partly about race, is risky.  I cannot prove my points here; I can only try to write my perceptions clearly.  3)  There is little encouragement generally in the Christian world for feminist readings of popular culture.  (Ditto above regarding lack of proof.)  4) I am still sorting through some fundamental, theological questions that emerged during the anti-torture conference.  Hopefully something here is of use. 

I heard a radio interview about trends in American television with Kathleen Turner recently.  She has been on my imaginative radar ever since someone left a copy of this newspaper article on my doorstep last summer.  Two things strike me most about Turner.  She is not afraid of her sexuality, and she is not afraid of being perceived as a bitch.  She is, as the NYT piece explains, a “broad.”  Turner is now on stage playing another one of my favorite broads, investigative reporter and political writer (and fellow Texan) Molly Ivins.  The radio interviewer noted that there seems to be something of a trend here, in that another brazen Texas woman, Ann Richards, was the subject of a one-woman play last year.  Could it be that tough chicks are now chic?

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Jun 16

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Fight for your Right to Daaaaadddyyy! The Art of Fatherhood, MCA, and Wild Things

This Father’s Day, we celebrate my Dad’s retirement from 47 years of ministry in the United Methodist Church.  He has been the spiritual abba for three generations of children, from Sparrowbush, New York to Rhome, Texas.  A few days ago, a room full of Methodist clergy in the Southwest Texas voted to allow him to retire. (Methodists vote on everything.)

At the same meeting, we held a group of brand new clergy to a set of rules that are just plain odd.  (The questions Methodist pastors have to answer about “being made perfect” are strange enough for a post all their own.)  For this post, I want to note that the Methodist rules contain at least two promises not to “trifle,” and several promises to perform “diligence.”  My bishop’s favorite rule is “Will you diligently instruct the children in every place?”  He asks this of the candidates each year with notable verve.  John Wesley was all about diligence, and he had no patience for anything that whiffed of trifle.  I think he was off the mark, because good fathers, and good pastors, have to learn to waste serious time if they are going to instruct children.

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May 22

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[Sarah McGiverin] The Six Essentials for Preaching to Children – If You Must Do Children’s Sermons, Here’s How

Sarah McGiverin originally posted this on her own blog, Jerusalem to Jericho.  We’re thrilled to run it here as well – it’s an outstanding piece on a part of ministry that it’s far too easy to overlook.  For students about to start Field Ed placements, this may be one to bookmark.

A few entries back on my blog, I mentioned that there were certain parameters within which a children’s sermon might operate – and outside of which it might do real harm.  These are the essentials of a grace-infused children’s sermon, from my point of view.  If you want to proclaim the good news to children, whether through a children’s sermon or in other ways, these six points need to be considered.  I would welcome discussion of these points – or your own additional points! – in the comments.

1) Love the children
This sounds obvious, but it gets overlooked too often. This is the starting place. God loves children. As Christians, we are called to love all who God loves, and that includes children. We are not to fetishize them or worship them or relegate them to the front or the back – we are to love them. And to love someone, we must first see them – we must desire to understand them. We must listen. Loving children means paying attention to children. Loving children means devoting time to thinking through how we minister to children. Engaging children ought not be an afterthought, nor ought it be a means towards reeling in their parents (the ones with the money to fix our roof and pay the salaries!) Children are not the future of the church – they are within the body of Christ NOW, and are within God’s providential care as they are NOW – penniless and vulnerable. Read more

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