Proud to be Gay. Proud to be Jewish. Celebrate LGBTQ Pride Jewishly and in Good Company with Bolton Street Synagogue Our service, led by Rabbi Andy Gordon will include liturgical additions, readings for Pride and a special sermon by Sheridan Bahar, Programs and Development Coordinator at A Wider Bridge, a North American LGBTQ organization building support for Israel and its LGBTQ community. Oneg and opportunity to schmooze following services. *** Bolton Street Synagogue, a Baltimore-based Reform congregation, is a place of belonging. Bolton Street is known for its dynamic celebration of spirituality, justice, learning, and engagement with the greater community.
The Gift of Importance
I am writing this a bit early, because I know that when it is due, my life will be crazy. My daughter is getting married one week from today. She is my baby girl, the youngest of four daughters and the last one to get married. Now I know this is the happiest day of her life, but for a dad? Not so much.
Religious Liberty and Spiritual Manipulation
A local newspaper called me this morning to ask my opinion about the “Religious Liberty” executive order signed by the president this week. I am sure my opinion was vastly different from the highly evangelical / conservative Christian views of the majority in my area. You would think as a pastor I’d be delighted to see religious liberty expanded and to see the influence of the church exerted in more intentional ways. Yeah, you might think that… but then you wouldn’t know me. Why do I think this is a bad idea? For several reasons:
Religious Liberty and Spiritual Manipulation
A local newspaper called me this morning to ask my opinion about the “Religious Liberty” executive order signed by the president this week. I am sure my opinion was vastly different from the highly evangelical / conservative Christian views of the majority in my area. You would think as a pastor I’d be delighted to see religious liberty expanded and to see the influence of the church exerted in more intentional ways. Yeah, you might think that… but then you wouldn’t know me. Why do I think this is a bad idea? For several reasons:
The Spirituality of Capitalism
I have recently found myself on a spiritual journey of sorts. I’m not sure where its leading or if in fact it is a journey at all, but it started about two years ago, with the Democratic primary process for the recent presidential election.
Trump’s America: A Pastor’s Lament
I have struggled all day. I was concerned with not alienating people, not taking sides, being pastoral. And so I held my tongue. The reality is that I am an ordained minister in the Christian Presbyterate (priesthood). I am 96 hands away from Jesus. My ordination vows included this promise: “Will you, in the exercise of your ministry, lead the people of God to faith in Jesus Christ, to participate in the life and work of the community, and to seek peace, justice, and freedom for all people?” Today I failed in that mission. Someone recently told me that as […]
Saint Larry
This week we who are in the Christian faith tradition celebrated All Saints Day. It’s a day we commemorate the lives of those people who have particularly shown through their life and witness what it means to be a faithful Christian. But are “saints” limited only to Christianity? Technically the term originated to described those who were “holy” (sanctus) in Christianity, but what if we applied that term more broadly to describe those people whose lives have shown as an example for us?
‘Homosexual?’ In the Bible, No Such Word!
The “sacred book” the “Holy Bible” has been translated in many languages. As of November, 2014, the United Bible Societies declare the Bible has been translated in more than 2,530 languages to date – including 55 different forms of sign language. However, only 531 languages have the complete text. Currently, there are 1,800 languages around the world that are still waiting for a translation in their native language. With all the modern translation tools at our disposal, why?