Yesterday, the Court of Review of The Episcopal Church issued a report on the election of Charlie Holt to bishop of northeast Florida and events surrounding and contributing to the ongoing protest of his election. In true Anglican fashion, it’s highly-structured and has a got a chanting-the-psalter feel to it, with “These findings cast doubt […]
Tag: church
PC(USA) Ordination Exams: Now can we have THE talk?
Recently, many PCUSA seminarians sat for an exegesis ordination exam unlike any other I’ve ever heard about. For many, this exam was one of the last ecclesiastical hurdles to jump. For those of you who don’t know, PC(USA) ordination is a multi-year, multi-leg endurance race of classes, internships, verbal and written examinations, psychological evaluation, and […]
Embracing the Incarnation with Frail Flesh
I’m beginning this in the infusion waiting room just a few days into Advent. With my church ministry days behind me (at least for now, probably for good) I’m relearning how to love this time of the year. I can, in good conscience, light the candle of peace this year, not feeling like a fraud, […]
Open Wound
The damage was too great, the surgeon told me, to close the wound. No amount of skill, no number of stitches, could close the bloody ellipse, much less hold it indefinitely. It could be cared for and fretted over as much as I liked, but only time would heal this open wound. Healing, closure the […]
The Unmaking of Me | Part 3 Complex PTSD and the Soul
This is the third and final post in this series. In Part One, I shared the spiritual abuse to which I was subjected to for two years. In Part Two, I tried to describe some of the more acute symptoms of my Complex PTSD. In this post, I want to really drill down on one […]
The Unmaking of Me | Part 2 How to Disappear Completely
In Part One of this series, I shared the spiritual abuse I endured over the course of years. Here in Part Two, I share some of my more acute symptoms of my CPTSD engendered by this abuse. Please know, however, that trauma does not affect everyone the same way. In his groundbreaking book on trauma, […]
The Unmaking of Me | Part 1 Spiritual Abuse & My Complex PTSD
There are moments in our lives that begin ordinary and end extraordinary. Sometimes, they are moments of indescribable joy, and others of immense suffering. This post is about the latter, and takes place, like may of these life-altering moments do, under the most mundane circumstances: a food truck rally with friends. Food trucks will forever […]
Deconstruction is not the Problem: Why Matt Chandler Gets it Wrong
Deconstruction is not a trendy choice; it’s a survival technique.
Ten Warning Signs your Church Culture is Rotten
One of the common refrains we hear when a church implodes is “I just didn’t know.” Sometimes that ignorance is willed or a legal cover, but for most folks, I think it’s true. Even plugged-in participants, church-rats, and lay leaders are just unaware of what a church in trouble looks like. Here’s 10 warning signs […]
A Response to Carey Nieuwhof: Get to Know the Dones
Carey Nieuwhof does not understand the Dones, i.e., those who have enough of Christian community and leave. Or maybe he’s only talked to the most vapid, shallow, and inarticulate of the bunch. Or maybe Carey Nieuwhof just built a straw man he could work over on his blog with no challenge. But something went really […]
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