Since the Democrats lost the presidential election in 2024, there has been a lot of handwringing. Pundits and politicians have been publicly wrestling with what went wrong and how to move forward. What can we learn from 2024? One answer is nothing. We are in a time of high polarization. The electorate swings between the two parties. Neither one really captures what the … [Read more...] about The Last War
Falling Feels Like Flying…For a Little While
In the craziness of the present moment, I am reminded of one of the most underrated movies of all time-Crazy Heart. A song from the movie, “Fallin’ & Flyin’” keeps coming to mind. I see the glee some people have at seeing the US government changed or the amazement that the president seems to get away with unprecedented moves. This all reminds me of the chorus and verse from … [Read more...] about Falling Feels Like Flying…For a Little While
Using People Is Wrong
Using people is wrong. It seems absurd this needs to be said, but after reading Jay Therrell’s “Throwing Rocks” and Rob Renfroe's “Colonialism in Glass Houses” this week, I feel I must say it. Reading how easily they dismiss folks concerned about the WCA’s desire to vaccinate delegates to General Conference, they are missing the gist of what makes this proposal ethically and … [Read more...] about Using People Is Wrong
Disparity in Disaffiliation
One of the craziest phenomena I have noticed this annual conference season is the tremendous difference between the way the Susquehanna Annual Conference and the New England Annual Conferences are handling disaffiliation of local congregations. For the uninitiated, disaffiliation is the process that allows churches in the United Methodist church to leave the United Methodist … [Read more...] about Disparity in Disaffiliation
Boundaries
In desiring to respond to an open letter to centrists, I am not sure I qualify as a centrist. In some contexts I would appear conservative, in others progressive. Yet, I feel a need to respond to the Reverend Stephen Rankin’s “An Open Letter to Adam Hamilton and Other Centrists: Where Lie the Boundaries?” I really disliked his commentary “It is time to separate.” The more I … [Read more...] about Boundaries