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- Written by EJ Sweeney
I just watched something that made me sick to my stomach. It was a documentary about Carl Lentz. Carl Lentz was the Pastor of Hillsong church in New York City. You may not have heard his name before but probably know him, or have seen him on TV, as Justin Bieber’s pastor. About two years ago he was removed from his position because of moral failings. Specifically, an ongoing, adulterous affair. The documentary showed a series of video messages he left the woman he was sleeping with. It was disgusting to see this family man, this pastor who preached fidelity in marriage and continence in all other sexual matters repeatedly profess his love for her. But that’s not what made me sick to my stomach.
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- Written by Super User
Merry Christmas! I pray you and your loved ones had a most blessed celebration. But what, exactly, did we just celebrate? What is the reason for the Season? Whatever our personal reasons for celebrating the holiday might be, historically speaking the reason for the season is the Christian claim that, two thousand years ago, God became human. But why does it matter whether God became human or not?
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- Written by EJ Sweeney
When I arrived at divinity school in the late 90’s, there was a strong push at Yale to adopt inclusive language for God. So, for example, instead of calling the Trinity “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit”, we were encouraged to say “Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer (or Sanctifier)”. Instead of referring to God as “He” or “Father”, to substitute the generic “God” or “Godself”.
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- Written by EJ Sweeney
Ideas, as they say, have consequences. Throughout history, the idea that God is male, that God has a gender, has had disastrous consequences. In many profound ways, it has been responsible for and contributed to Patriarchalism. But the idea is not Biblical. For centuries, the Church’s failure to teach clearly what Scripture says about “God’s gender”, has led many Christians to adopt patriarchal views and engage in discriminatory practices. It has led many women to feel alienated from God, or at least not as precious in God’s eyes. The idea that God is male is a very bad and misleading idea. It’s not what the Bible actually teaches.
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- Written by EJ Sweeney
About ten years ago, a woman who happened to have survived the Holocaust as a child had a leak in the roof of her house. Being older, all her family was gone. She had to take care of the large, two and half story balloon framed house all by herself--she didn’t want to sell because it was full of so many good memories. So, she called in a contractor to fix the leak.
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- Written by EJ Sweeney
Pope Francis angered animal lovers everywhere with comments he made a few months ago. He was talking about the need to be more attentive to families living in poverty. The angry reaction came when he pointed out how much more time, attention, and money we devote to our pets than to the needs of the poor, especially children.
