Everything is on the table.
Those of us in ministry are not free of the push and pull of anxiety about ourselves, our status, our power, our income, and our future. This anxiety is exacerbated when facing a crisis of denominational decline. In the movie Titanic, those in power are first to learn of the doom facing the ship, a […]
An Organized People Preached at La Trinidad UMC, San Antonio, TX 23 January 2022
A Gifted People: Understanding Personal Racism as a Theological Problem
JPF 11/19/21 1. God be with you till we meet again,Keep your webcam up and running,and your system gently humming,God be with you till we meet again. Till we meet, till we meet,Through Facebook, Zoom, Whatsapp or Tweet,Till we meet, till we meet,God be with you till we meet again. 2. God be with you […]
Which of these two questions is more socially awkward? 1. Are you vaccinated?2. If you were to die tonight, would God accept you into heaven? D. James Kennedy, a major figure in Evangelical Christianity, developed question 2 as part of Evangelism Explosion, a training on how to share (Calvinist) Christian faith. Conservative Christians have posed […]
“So let it be written. So let it be done.” Pharaoh Ramses – The Ten Commandments (1956) If you are like me, spending a year working from home, preparing your own meals, and generally lacking the usual amount of exercise has led to a bit of weight gain. To keep myself from becoming a pandemic […]
As the Wesleyan Covenant Association prepares for another Global Gathering this weekend, many United Methodists will wonder if this will be the defining moment, the convening of an alternative General Conference to constitute a new conservative denomination, the serving of the divorce papers, the split. Talk of the split is everywhere. Search for some United […]
This article was published in Spanish in the January 31, 2021 edition of El Evangelista Mexicano, the national periodical of the Methodist Church of Mexico. Click here to read the Spanish version. He who follows the way of the vile sinner, hands himself to the arms of a treasonous dream. Hymn: Iglesia de cristo, mateo […]
Below is text of a letter shared to the newsletter subscribers of La Trinidad UMC in San Antonio where I serve as pastor. 6 January 2021 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:3 Dear Friends and Family of La Trinidad UMC: I write to you at […]
If there is one thing we know about racism – it’s that racism is deeply personal. Racism arises from within human personalities even as it dehumanizes others. Those subjected to its trauma feel the sting of being constantly defamed, excluded, and oppressed. Those indoctrinated and brainwashed into racism either accept its false-narratives and participate in […]