So on Thursday President Trump signed an Executive Order effectively dismantling the “Johnson Amendment.” Below are my thoughts on this act of toothless political theatre 1. First, if this means I’m going to get another mildly-threatening warning letter from a local atheist group I’ll be mildly annoyed. I don’t violate the Johnson Amendment every Sunday,…
Category: Pastoring
Congregation of the Absurd
I’m working on a brochure to hand out during Palmyra Day 1 and the template I’m using has spaces for quotes near the bottom. I thought this would be a great place for testimonials about Central so I headed over to Facebook and asked the family, “If you could describe Central in one sentence, what…
Stained Glass
The moment I entered Central’s sanctuary prior to my interview I knew it was a space in which I’d want to worship. After my 5 year exile 1 in “white-washed” Protestant New England 2, I was ready for a beautiful worship space. Central fit the bill, the stained glass is amazing. It’s both theologically rich…
Christus Victor
On Good Friday we invited folks at Central Baptist to come and hammer in a nail to a cross one of our family had made. It’s a powerful thing to be in the silence of the sanctuary, only to have it interrupted by the pounding of a hammer. There’s a violence to the sound which…
Good Friday Tired
It’s Good Friday, and I confess I’m weary. To be clear, I’m not weary of Central Baptist. The church I pastor is actually a source of great joy for me. I’m weary of wider American Christianity. Perhaps its the confluence of peak allergy season with my busiest time of year, but the more I see…
Stairs
This is another image from Willingboro Lakes Park, it’s another remnant of the Park’s commercial past. Years ago these steps led down from one area of the recreational area, down toward the larger of the two lakes on the property. Now they’re cracked, weed-covered, and partially buried. Sometimes I wonder if these steps look like…
