Here is an Advent reflection I wrote for a service last year from John 1. Merry Christmas. Seeing an Eternal Creator 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, [...]

I recently read a very interesting book, Society Without God by Phil Zuckerman. Zuckerman is an American sociologist whose book studies the spiritual (or aspiritual) outlook of Nordic Europeans—specifically Danes and Swedes—and how the decline in their religious concerns is reflected in the state of their society. Zuckerman conducted his research mostly in Denmark primarily [...]

I read this article today questioning the effectiveness and importance of organized religion.  It’s a perennial question, but I see it being asked more and more (like in Anne’s post about Anne Rice).  One of my favorite authors, Diana Butler Bass, is working on a new book about people who say they are “spiritual, but [...]

When I was 23, I moved 750 miles away with some friends to plant a church.  It was what I had determined that Jesus had in mind for me at the time.  Some people acted like it was a big leap of faith.  It didn’t seem that way to me, more like just the next [...]

I realize I’ve been sharing other people’s thoughts more than my own lately, but that’s the beauty of the internets, eh?  Anyway, I liked McLaren’s response to this question on his blog. http://brianmclaren.net/archives/blog/q-r-evangelism-and-evangelists.html#more Social Bookmarking

I had a great and restorative day of being myself (by myself) today.  I checked a book out from the library called Faith & Doubt because I loved this poem on the back cover: GOD SAYS YES TO ME I asked God if it was okay to be melodramatic and she said yes I asked [...]

A few weeks ago, I wrote a somewhat emotionally reactive post about (hyper-) Calvinism and the seeming militant commitment to it by its adherents.  I didn’t mention it then, but the words were in response to a book I had just read, Young, Restless, Reformed: A Journalist’s Journey with the New Calvinists.  Though I finished [...]

I am not a Calvinist.  I don’t like systematic theology.  I don’t enjoy endless debate about the character and sovereign nature of God.  These things are neither fruitful nor soul-nourishing to me.  However, I also don’t like being insulted as “theologically light” simply for not agreeing with a particular interpretation of Scripture.  As if had [...]

A while back I asked my husband if he thought the American way of family life–a single nuclear family living in a private home–is the best model available.  He was either being wise or rude; I can’t remember that he engaged the debate.  The question lingered and resurfaced while reading an excellent book, Honeymoon in [...]

It seems to me that an awful lot of people are talking, but not enough people are asking questions.  One person who I can always count on to ask great questions is my good friend, Anne, as you can see from her many thought-provoking posts here on PMIAB.  I have found another wonderful inquirer in [...]