By: John Woodward on March 6, 2015
Honestly, it seemed so much simpler forty years ago. Sexual topics were little discussed in the church and there was wide spread consensus on many of the issues back then. With the coming of the sixties, issues concerning gender, sex and family were thrust into the forefront of the church’s attention and today have become…
By: Stefania Tarasut on March 6, 2015
About two years ago I sat across the table from one of my college students when he says this, “I have to tell you something. I’m gay. I know I’m going to hell for feeling this way, but I’ve known since I was in 6th grade. I know I’m choosing hell over heaven, but I…
By: Mitch Arbelaez on March 6, 2015
What I love about all of the books we are reading, is that we are exposed to and learning about the other sides of conversations that too often homogeneous Christians have only had with themselves, either choosing to ignore or simply being ignorant that there even is another side. It seems that we continue to…
By: Bill Dobrenen on March 6, 2015
All of our readings have been important in this LGP program. Some have been easier than others and some have been more helpful than others. I will re-read some of these texts, and I will sell others. However, this week’s readings have a unique place all their own. Even as I am writing this early-morning…
By: rhbaker275 on March 6, 2015
I struggled to work my way through Adrian Thatcher’s book, God, Sex, and Gender: An Introduction. I am sure the cover of the book is some magnificent piece of artwork, although I could not find any credits in my copy; it was not a book I wanted to leave visible either on the computer screen…
By: Julie Dodge on March 6, 2015
Gender. Sex. Sexuality. Sexual identity. Gender identity. I taught this class last week. Really. I did. Every time I do, it prompts deep debates. How are men and women different biologically? Is my biological identity the same as my gender identity? Is gender a social construct? Why does the topic of sex freak us out?…
By: Carol McLaughlin on March 6, 2015
Scripture, the word of God has a way of reading us, perhaps even more than we read it. Scripture is not reserved within the content of a book, it is expressed; it is sharper than a two-edged sword. I have yearned to live a life in accordance with God’s word. It seems that God has…
By: Ashley Goad on March 5, 2015
We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord, We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord, And we pray that all unity may one day be restored. Refrain And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love, Yes, they’ll know we are Christians…
By: Deve Persad on March 5, 2015
Labels are interesting things. We don’t necessarily like them for ourselves, but we would lost during the course of a day, if everything else didn’t have them. Labels do primarily two things. One in large print, where they identify the object and secondly, in smaller print, it will likely tell you about their contents, that…
By: Liz Linssen on March 5, 2015
“All God needs are willing hearts to extend his unconditional love for all of his children – gay and straight. This is our blessing. This is our bold calling. This is our orientation.” [i] I have to admit, when I picked up Marin’s book, Love Is An Orientation, I did not have high expectations. What…
By: Telile Fikru Badecha on March 5, 2015
“Some people think same sex marriage is wrong,” said my one of the student in Peace and Justice class at GFEF a couple of years ago. This person spoke confidently and passionately as someone who cares for all kinds of social justice issues. I was shocked, not simply because I disagree with the students claim…
By: Miriam Mendez on March 3, 2015
Charles Taylor’s gift as a cartographer takes the reader on a journey to track the move from some elite unbelief in the eighteenth century to mass secularization in the twenty-first century. He does this by introducing religious forms at different stages. He begins with the “ancient regime” form. This is where there is an inextricable…
By: Carol McLaughlin on March 1, 2015
(Reposted, since the link was broken. Thanks Bill and Liz for letting me know) Sitting on the veranda of the oldest Baptist Church in Australia within the Central Business District in Melbourne, Australia my new Aussie friend and I were discussing life, our stories of faith, the weaving of doubt and faith, trust and…
By: Richard Volzke on February 28, 2015
Continuing this weeks reading of, A Secular Age, I came across a quote in Chapter 13 that specifically illustrates what I believe is a major problem in churches within the US and other Western countries. “Most of us in America believe a few simple propositions that seem so clear and self-evident they scarcely need to…
By: Bill Dobrenen on February 28, 2015
Recently, I was selected to be part of a group that is studying and dealing with issues of racial and ethnic equity. This group is made up of eight different colleges and universities in the state of Oregon. Each school has 4-7 representatives that come from various departments; there are college presidents, student service workers,…
By: rhbaker275 on February 28, 2015
This week provided a challenge to continue to absorb a-little more, seek to go deeper and basically unravel Charles Taylor’s A Secular Age. Throughout the writing, Taylor creates and maintains an inquisitive approach that engages the reader. At the outset, Taylor asks a seemingly unpretentious question, “What does it mean to live in a secular…
By: Ashley Goad on February 27, 2015
Yesterday was one of the longest days I have ever had. Traveling westward across time zones made for a 33 hour Wednesday; however, 33 hours provides ample opportunity for reading and reflection! Of all of the mission trips I have led over the years, something like 60 or 70, I had a first yesterday. On…
By: Telile Fikru Badecha on February 27, 2015
The impact of western secularism has great implications for Christianity and social change in Ethiopia. The reality of globalization and the ever-growing cultural exchange between Western and developing countries, like Ethiopia, makes the impact of modernity inevitable. Unarguably, there are benefits of being connected with everyone and everything but we need to pay attention to…
By: Mitch Arbelaez on February 26, 2015
We have all encountered them. Those individuals, that, as you attempt to share a loving personal God with them, simply replied back that they believe a god may have been instrumental in the whole creation of the universe. They concede that this god may have implemented natural laws that currently guide said universe with a…
By: John Woodward on February 26, 2015
The movie The Theory of Everything is an inspirational story about Stephen Hawking’s life and is rich in juxtapositions. One such juxtaposition is the development and growth of Hawking’s mind and thinking as he body rapidly weakened. Another is Hawking’s rational, mathematical view of the universe contrasted with his deep passion for music, his family,…
