current issues | Losing My Religion

Categories: current issues

I don’t like to be provocative (believe it or not), so I hesistated more than once before posting this. But I now think that for whatever it’s worth, I need to speak up.

Like so many others, my heart has been breaking for the people of Haiti. Such a profound catastrophe–it’s hard to watch, but nearly impossible to look away from it. However, it has been awesome to see how many people are responding to their plight with compassion and generosity and prayer.

This is a preview of On Haiti, Pat Robertson, and What’s Important. Read the full post (1087 words, 1 image, estimated 4:21 mins reading time)

July 27, 2009 by Wayward Son

Book Review: "A Lover’s Quarrel with the Evangelical Church" by Warren Cole Smith

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Categories: books, current issues, theological questions, TheOOZE

I have to say, I had a pretty complex reaction to this book. I selected to review the book because its title and description suggested to me that it was an unflinching look at some of the issues of the modern church. (And for the most part, it was.)

I thought the book would give an honest assessment of the lasting fruit of the evangelical movement, and tackle issues like greed and corruption. (And for the most part, it did.)

This is a preview of Book Review: "A Lover’s Quarrel with the Evangelical Church" by Warren Cole Smith. Read the full post (762 words, 2 images, estimated 3:03 mins reading time)

May 7, 2009 by Wayward Son

Women, Church Leaders and Affirmative Action

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Categories: current issues, healing wounds

If you’re just tuning in, you might want to read these posts for background:
There’s this one,
and this one,
and this one…
oh, and this one here.

In the course of the ongoing conversation on this blog about gender issues, both in the church and out, Erin posed a couple of interesting questions. Let me quote an excerpt of her comment here:

This is a preview of Women, Church Leaders and Affirmative Action. Read the full post (1427 words, 1 image, estimated 5:42 mins reading time)

April 27, 2009 by Wayward Son

Sexism by Default: Why Men Must Not Be Passive

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Categories: current issues, food for thought, healing wounds

I think every experience can provide an opportunity to learn; and the recent dialogue that took place on Jonathan Brink’s blog concerning the Origins project is no exception. (If you’re just tuning in, click these three links to catch up.)

First, let me make clear that this post is not to discuss Origins specifically; as far as I am concerned, the issue in question was resolved; I am very thankful for the action that was taken, and I support Origins’ efforts and wish them nothing but the best. Rather, it is the rest of us, the ones who participated in this discussion about the equality of women in the church–and the ones who continue to view it from a distance–who need to take a look at the bigger picture and learn from this experience.

This is a preview of Sexism by Default: Why Men Must Not Be Passive. Read the full post (1212 words, 2 images, estimated 4:51 mins reading time)

April 26, 2009 by Wayward Son

An Important Update

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Categories: current issues, healing wounds

I have continued to track the lively conversation that has been taking place on Jonathan Brink’s blog since he raised the question about the new Origins project and their all-male core leadership team. (You can check his first post here, and his follow-up post here.)

Since those posts went up, some interesting (and I believe, quite positive) developments have occurred.

This is a preview of An Important Update. Read the full post (527 words, 1 image, estimated 2:06 mins reading time)

April 24, 2009 by Wayward Son

Standing Up for Our Sisters: The Conversation Jumps Up a Notch

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Categories: current issues, healing wounds

An important nerve has clearly been struck. And yesterday the conversation jumped up a notch.

Nearly three weeks ago, I was greatly moved by a post by Jeromy at A Mending Shift, talking about the suppression of women within the church, the ongoing wound, and the need for healing.

So I wrote “Why the Heart of Every Man Should Be Breaking“–which, in two weeks’ time, already has all appearances of becoming the most-read blog post I’ve ever written (which tells me just how deeply significant this particular topic is to people).

This is a preview of Standing Up for Our Sisters: The Conversation Jumps Up a Notch. Read the full post (493 words, 1 image, estimated 1:58 mins reading time)

April 14, 2009 by Wayward Son

Continuing the Conversation…

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Categories: current issues, healing wounds, theological questions

My new blogger friend Reina, in response to Thursday’s post, shared a link to something she wrote in her own blog in January. With her permission, allow me to share an excerpt:

“…one of the things that struck me [in reading through the Bible] is how many prominent women are mentioned in every culture but that of the Jews and Christians. It would seem that God, my God, the God of the bible, introduced the idea that women should be subservient to men, and his people have been busy making an example of that to the rest of the world. Christians especially, seem to have done a excellent job of setting this example, ultimately culminating in the dark ages, when women were worth less than cattle.

This is a preview of Continuing the Conversation…. Read the full post (1277 words, 2 images, estimated 5:06 mins reading time)

April 13, 2009 by Wayward Son

What These Days Call For: Thoughts on Faith and Hardship

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Categories: current issues, faith

(This post is part of a synchroblog on “Faith in Times of Trial.” Other participants will be listed below as the links are provided and the list grows.)

If there’s one thing we can be certain about, it’s uncertainty. 🙂 And these days we’re living in seem to be proof.

This is a preview of What These Days Call For: Thoughts on Faith and Hardship. Read the full post (1368 words, 1 image, estimated 5:28 mins reading time)

March 9, 2009 by Wayward Son

This is a Bit Sobering

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Categories: current issues, food for thought

I know I just posted something (and please comment on the discussion question)…but I’ve been hearing about this news item all day concerning the increased number of people in America now claiming “no religion”…so I went and found this article from CNN.com.

Of particular interest to me is the following quote from the article:

This is a preview of This is a Bit Sobering. Read the full post (320 words, 1 image, estimated 1:17 mins reading time)

January 20, 2009 by Wayward Son