Ash Wednesday officially ushers in Lent. This day arrived at its name from the ashes that Catholic and some Protestant churches put on worshiper’s foreheads during a church service. This tradition is inspired by the Biblical practice of placing ashes on one’s head during times of mourning or repentance.
As I noted in a post earlier [...]
Mardi Gras, from the French for Fat Tuesday, falls between Shrove Monday and Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras is also known as Pancake Day because of the foods traditionally eaten on this Tuesday. Fat left over from cooking breakfast on Shrove Monday would be used to make pancakes or donuts on Tuesday. Mardi Gras or Fat [...]
Tagged holidaysMany of us act as though we have a lot in common with a Labrador Retriever. Of course, some people act like they have a lot in common with other less friendly dog breeds (I’m certain none of my readers fit in this category though…). Labradors (in all of their colors) are just wonderful dogs. [...]
Fall is in the air where I live. The days are still warm but the nights are cooling and leaves are beginning to change and drop from the trees. The winds of change are beginning to blow. I debated for many years as to my favorite season. Living in the northeast we experience four fully [...]
Did you ever wonder which theologian you are most like? There is now an online quiz that will tell you after you answer a few theological questions. I’m not sure how accurate the results are but it’s rather fun anyway.
I just took the quiz and discovered that my closest theological match is with Anselm, the [...]
Will Samson has an interesting post today following up on recent news of the US prisons restricting access to religious books in prison. By the way, don’t we live in America? Someone correct me if I’m wrong…
Almost two weeks ago I wrote about the new Bureau of Prisons policy that is removing all religious books [...]
I spent five years working in one particular industry (sorry for the vague description - the “names are changed” to protect the innocent…). During that time I met many people from surrounding communities - all of whom were involved in the same industry. Unfortunately, this particular industry has a habit of attracting people with issues. [...]
Will Samson has a thoughtful post on the emerging church movement and the industrial, institutional church model.
“Ironically, industrialization, fostered by a Protestant spirit of capitalism, is driving globalization across the globe, leading to an increased pluralization, both of cultural and religious expressions, in America. This could be leading the Church to a time of thoughtful [...]
Theology is important. Vitally important. Good theology, or orthodoxy to use a popularly rediscovered term, is the framework that keeps us out of all sorts of trouble.
Unfortunately, anyone who has ever read a theology book understands the suggestion of theology as a sleep aid. Theological writing tends to be dry, dull, and unimaginative. This is [...]
Connection Connections
Have you ever compared Christianity to an Internet connection? That may sound like an odd pairing but there is a connection. My Internet connection kept dropping this morning and, needless to say, I was a bit frustrated. As I was lamenting the fact that I could not stay connected to the network I realized [...]