More on one of those “Three common arguments” from Climate-Crisis-Denial Land, the one that objects by saying “Oh, that’s being political”, as if that is grounds for an automatic bypass of the argument. It’s a dog-whistle, with the “preaching to the choir” meaning being that this is a “liberal thing” and a part of the “plot to destroy America by Continue Reading
What’s really galling to me is how little ANYONE I grew up with (like from my former youth group) interacts with me AT ALL on this issue. I post to Facebook a great deal on this. Perhaps they’ve simply turned off my posts. Perhaps they’ve clicked on “Don’t show me posts like this”. Without a way to look at this Continue Reading
People may be wondering how it is, and maybe even WHY it is, that I keep relating things, seemingly anything, to the Climate Crisis. And to that I say, “You betcha”. The fact that we put this issue on the sidelines comparative to almost ANYTHING else is testimony to how far removed we have become as PARTICIPANTS and INTER-DEPENDENTS in Continue Reading
It seems to me that we’ve made baptism into a very “Gnostic” experience. Given the LACK of concern, consciousness about what is happening to the “ELEMENTS: of the earth, in which baptism SHOULD be a direct, experiential witness and reminder, the sacrament has become just another way for us to “spiritualize” and just conveniently “forget” and “ignore” how our collective Continue Reading
This is so STOOOOOPID, the Wheaton and “Some Evangelical Christians” response : “I stand in religious solidarity with Muslims because they, like me, a Christian, are people of the book,†she posted on Facebook. “And as Pope Francis stated last week, we worship the same God.†Though the college did not take a position on her wearing the headscarf, some Continue Reading
I’ve spent the last 15 months noticing how SO VERY FEW people are willing to even comment on the Climate Crisis. Of course, the reasons are “legion”. From outright ideological denial (as a part of a “package” of right wing paranoia about the government and the media) , to an unconscious refusal to take the time and open the self Continue Reading
Again, as I have said earlier after asking the UMC in particular to consider the theological and evangelical responsibilities to ACT and REFORM around Climate Change and Eco-Theological responsibility as a representative of God’s people and ALL people, this is more importantly a universal call to ALL of God’s people and that of ALL religious traditions (many of which have Continue Reading
I love how responsive the UMC is to disaster. It is an obvious REQUIREMENT to do so; to help people hit by disaster. What I am going to say next is in NO WAY to minimize this at all. We must continue to do so. But ANOTHER way to help is to help PREVENT, or if not PREVENT, to MINIMIZE Continue Reading
EVANGELISM , a theological staple, must become MUCH MORE about the “GOOD News” about the BAD News that is growing year by year: which is that Humankind, drunk on it’s “miracles” of production , driven by fossil fuels, has alternatives. And it is going to take the kind of local, national, and global collaboration that we already need to battle Continue Reading
Saw a couple of these today as I went out. My first thought was, and what of the Lack of markers of the turning of seasons? The coming of winter? And the invoking of Jesus as “the reason”, as if that invoking is sufficient to represent some universally accepted theology (which it is FAR from doing, most least of all Continue Reading
I heard an old Christmas hymn anew last night, as my wife and daughter were on stage singing with a church choir from First UMC, Lavergne. Angels from the realms of glory, Wing your flight o’er all the earth; Ye who sang creation’s story, Now proclaim Messiah’s birth: Come and worship, Come and worship, Worship Christ, the newborn King! “Ye who Continue Reading
So here (also shown below), on UMNS’s Facebook page, they posted an article “News Poll:Top 2015 stories” , polling UM Communications workers, and Climate didn’t make the top 5. And I commented that this is symptomatic of the problem of neglect (and dare I say, “repression”; pushing such realities out of view and only bringing them up when it is Continue Reading
The Paris climate talks present a lowest common denominator of global politics, not the aspirations of the global community. It’s the people on the streets who provide the real hope for addressing the climate crisis. – David Turnbull Source: Oil Change International responds to Paris climate agreement – Oil Change InternationalOil Change International
Added some custom code to my theme header so that my site shows a title that fits the name according to the link with which they came in (theoblgical, occupytheology, or ecoecclesia)
I have been “stalling” under the guise of “determining my brand/style” for EcoEcclesia and the dream/goal of launching a Webcast network using my now 3 and a half month-old Tricaster Mini. Dennis Benson, my friend and Communications seminary professor from my days at United Theological Seminary (1990-91) was expressing to me yesterday his sense of urgency that such missions as this Continue Reading