Posts from the Blog of an (un)Tamed Cynic
I spent last week in Washington, DC for a conference called Children, Youth, and a New Kind of Christianity. Though I wasn’t sure I would be able to attend until the last minute, I had been looking forward to this conference for a year or so. It promised to bring together the two theological areas [...]
This is my Confirmation Sunday sermon from yesterday. The scripture readings were Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and 1 John 1:1-4. This is an unprecedented time in the history of Fourth Presbyterian Church. I realize, of course, that you will hear this a lot during this time of transition and change. But let me take a moment to [...]
Yesterday I used the preaching style of John Buchanan to think about the idea of listening for God, not only in scripture but also in (other) works of human culture. Today I want to continue that theme by thinking about how we might incorporate pop music into our experience of worship. A few years ago, [...]
Yesterday I posted about embracing the pathos of current realities in the Presbyterian Church (USA). Ironically—or perhaps providentially—on the same day a group of Presbyterians, several of whom I know as friends, posted a letter and video about Hope for the PC(USA). I think that my message and theirs work well together. You can watch [...]
Back in the fall I taught a four week adult education class at Fourth Church called “Christianity Without Heaven or Hell.” It was basically a study of Rob Bell’s 2011 book, Love Wins. I opened that class with this video, which I have used from time to time in my work with youth. I used [...]
