I am big on dialogue, on civil conversation even when disagreeing, and doing everything I can to understand other people’s points of view. I believe we are doing great harm by polarizing every disagreement into hostile debate, and feel that the Christian witness should be significantly more mature and tolerant […]
Barbara and I have been in Vermont for the past week, soaking in the gorgeous colors (leaves), enjoying unseasonably mild temperatures, glorious lake views, breathtaking mountain views, and getting to know the land we purchased for retirement. I worked really hard to leave everything behind and to attend only to […]
I have been reading a number of articles that all point to a common occurrence — those who are the greatest opponents to a variety of issues are those who know and understand the least about them. Really good research has been done around a variety of controversial topics and […]
I always love the subtle, but significant shift that can come in the meaning of words by simply substituting one letter for another. A horse can become a house, a mower can mow lower, while you may lack the luck to lick a lock (whatever that might mean…) This morning […]
I find myself praying many times a day for my colleagues in ministry. I see the widespread devastating (injurious and deadly) impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and it breaks my heart, but what is absolutely tearing at my soul is what it is doing to many of my friends and […]
I got this great email a few weeks ago from someone in the congregation I am serving now. She has gotten more involved in the ministries of the denomination, and she attended a Zoom webinar for racial justice recently, After the presentation she sent me an email that tickled and […]
In a culture where more and more “truth” is subjective and we politicize everything, it becomes harder and harder to talk about anything. Take the names of Joe Biden, Mitch McConnell, Donald Trump, and Nancy Pelosi out of the conversation and simply look at statements and behaviors – rational people […]
This is a response to some very good questions raised by Dave Werner and others pressing me for a little more “how” and a little less “what” concerning civil conversation and navigating the current cultural context of conflict, polarization, and division. There is wide agreement that we should be able […]
Two recent conversations have been troubling me lately, and I finally figured out why. A colleague called me recently to complain about something I wrote. He said, “You know, we didn’t appreciate your criticism.” “What criticism?” I asked. “You wrote in your blog that we weren’t critical thinkers, that we […]
In my 35+ years of consultation work (as well as the dozen+ years in parish ministry) I have witnessed one consistent and undermining practice again and again. Examples: “Our Conference is currently working on these six top priorities,” and “we determined that every aspect of disciple making is our top […]
United Methodeviations 