What I Shared in Madison
It was great being with the good people of Madison last weekend, as a guest of First UMC and as lecturer for theLyons Lecture Series. My topic was Saving Religion from the Fundamentalists.
Here are slides from my presentations:
saving religion from the fundamentalists
You can hear my sermon from Sunday May 5 here, "It's Not Easy but It's Worth It": http://firstunitedmethodistmadison.org/worship/sermons/5-5-19-sunday-service-live-stream/
Near the end of the sermon, I reflect briefly on the death of beloved Rachel Held Evans, who had just died the day before.
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A Story and a Song
I heard recently from songwriter/pastor Candace Chellew-Hodge that this song had been inspired by some of my work several years ago.
I realized that the message she heard then (and captures so beautifully in this song) - eventually turned into Cory and the Seventh Story -
Thanks, Candace - I can imagine churches around the country singing your song!
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I’m honored to be part of this new documentary …
BEATING GUNS -
You'll find a trailer and information here:
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Two articles (+) on Church Futures …
Both ask important questions that not everyone is comfortable asking ...
https://faithx.net/as-pastors-get-older-churches-start-to-die/?utm_term=0_292215115e-a21475b274-101098897
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/ncr-today/will-your-church-be-alive-ten-years
Here's a link to an article I wrote recently on church futures:
http://shermjournal.org/home/archives/vol-1-no-1/2019-vol1-no1-05/
Taken together, these articles challenge me to contribute, not just to "making church great again" by returning to some idealized past, but rather, to working for a rebirth of the Christian movement as an inclusive expression of "organizing religion" - Christians working for the common good of all, focused on restoring the planet, creating the conditions for lasting peace among races, nations, and religions, and reducing/eliminating poverty by addressing the continuing transfer of wealth to the super-rich.
That was the focus of my 2016 release, The Great Spiritual Migration, and it is at the heart of my upcoming books, including The Galapagos Islands: A Spiritual Journey which will release this October.
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What I Shared In Memphis – After the Prodigal Son?
I was honored to be part of the Lenten Preaching Series at Calvary Episcopal in Memphis last week ... I preached about two fascinating linked parables in Luke 16. I personally think they flow directly from three linked parables in Luke 15 (lost sheep, lost coin, lost son), and show a deeper line of argument and insight Jesus is pursuing through both chapters. You can listen to both here -
http://calvarymemphis.org/sermon_data_new/page/2/?cat_name=lps-sermons
There are lots of other great messages in the series you can enjoy at the same site. Thanks to Calvary Episcopal for this beautiful service to the community and beyond!
By the way - these two sermons relate to the Accumulation Narrative described in a beautiful all-ages picture book I helped right, and the companion e-book for adults (soon to be released in print). You can learn more here:
https://www.theseventhstory.com/
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