Category Archives: Church

Memorial on Valentine’s Day

Posted on February 14, 2019 by

This afternoon I will take part in a memorial service at the Florida State Capitol for the 17 students slain at Marjory Stoneman Douglass High School one year ago.  Here, more or less, is what I plan to say: There … Continue reading →

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The Idolatry of Nationalism

Posted on November 12, 2018 by

The New York Times reports that at a ceremony in Paris for the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I, President Emmanuel Macron of France rebuked the nationalist impulses that are reshaping the world today. “Patriotism is the exact … Continue reading →

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Vigil in Tallahassee

Posted on August 19, 2017 by

Last Thursday, August 17, a vigil was held at Tallahassee’s Lake Ella to remember the victims of violence in Charlottesville and to stand for peace, justice, and inclusion.  I was honored to be asked to speak.  Here are my remarks: … Continue reading →

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Top Dog

Posted on June 3, 2017 by

As I write, I am sitting in a sunny room in my mother-in-law’s home in Edinburgh, Scotland.  (Yes, it’s not often one can put “sunny” and “Scotland” in the same sentence.)  I confess to some reluctance to leaving the house … Continue reading →

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Free to Differ

Posted on May 9, 2017 by

President Trump has promised to “destroy” the so-called Johnson Amendment, which has become shorthand for a provision in the tax code that applies to all 501(c)(3) organizations. Groups that enjoy that most-favored tax status must refrain from endorsing, opposing or … Continue reading →

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Hope

Posted on June 19, 2016 by

I try not to use this platform to post sermons.  Today, however, I thought I’d make an exception.  Below is the sermon manuscript for Sunday, June 19, 2016.  It’s not the sermon.  A sermon is an oral event which takes … Continue reading →

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Not Helpful

Posted on July 31, 2012 by

Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.  So do candidates for high office.  During his recent visit to Israel, presidential candidate Mitt Romney ventured into dangerous territory.  In a speech to a Jewish audience he suggested that “cultural differences” … Continue reading →

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Lord, Forgive Us Our . . .

Posted on January 30, 2012 by

There are some pitfalls in this brave new world of social media.  One of them is the fact that when I make a blooper, it is exposed not only to the flock (who are used to my many shortcomings) but … Continue reading →

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Pig in a Poke

Posted on January 23, 2012 by

When I arrived to serve First Presbyterian Church of Tallahassee in 1985, Florida was coming down with a bad case of lottery fever.  Both conservative Christian groups and the liberal-leaning Florida Council of Churches opposed the establishment of a state-run … Continue reading →

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Courage Today

Posted on January 17, 2012 by

My son Adam gave me the new biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxas for my birthday.  At 542 pages, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy made  for good reading at the beach following Christmas. As Metaxas guided me through those … Continue reading →

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