For Randy and Suzi, dear friends to all, brother and sister in Christ.

Treasure of the Broken Land

I see you now and then in dreams
Your voice sounds just like it used to
I know you better than I knew you then
All I can say is I love you

I thought our days were commonplace
Thought they would number in millions
Now there’s only the aftertaste
Of circumstance that can’t pass this way again

Treasure of the broken land
Parched earth, give up your captive ones
Waiting wind of Gabriel
Blow soon upon the hollow bones

I saw the city at its tortured worst
And you were outside the walls there
You were relieved of a lifelong thirst
I was dry at the fountain

I knew that you could see my shame
But you were eyeless and sparing
I awoke when you called my name
I felt the curtain tearing

Treasure of the broken land
Parched earth give up your captive ones
Waiting wind of Gabriel
Blow soon upon the hollow bones

I can melt the clock hands down
But only in my memory
Nobody gets the second chance to be the friend they meant to be

I see you now and then in dreams
Your voice sounds just like it used to
I believe I will hear it again
God how I love you

Treasure of the broken land
Parched earth give up your captive ones
Waiting wind of Gabriel
Blow soon upon the hollow bones. – Mark Heard, Treasure of the Broken Land

“God’s grace exceeds any imagination man might have of it,” she said. That grace, “calls us to bring credit to the faith.” “If Christ will be with us until the end of the age, why such fear?” she asked. “Why not trust and enjoy the country God has created?” Reverence of God’s great narrative, “should prevent its being subordinated by tribalism, resentment or fear,” she concluded.

Here is one take on the phenomena of “Hell Houses” or “Judgment Houses” those Halloween styled attractions that are used by churches across the country for the sake of scaring people into salvation. Lisa Robinson has a problem with their approach and thinks they may be doing more harm than good.

Her criticism is pointed and important. You can read it here: A Real Halloween Horror: Hell House and Evangelism.

Before you decide to jump into the ice. Take a lesson from this person.

Earlier this week two news reports flashed across TV’s around the world. First, rice will kill you. Second, new evidence has emerged that Jesus was married. It makes one wonder if the billions of Christians who eat rice and read the bible will stop consuming either.

Within the last decade claims have been made about the discovery of Christ’s tomb, James’s ossuary, and now a papyrus fragment, smaller than a credit card, implying that Jesus was married. If you’re keeping score the first two items in the above list have been proven inauthentic.

Karen King, the scholar investigating the papyrus, has long been a critic of the traditional historical understanding of early Christianity. However, in spite of this and the title of the papyrus fragment, the “Gospel of Jesus’s Wife”, King acknowledges that this discovery has little value when it comes to telling us about the actual life of Jesus.

In the weeks leading up to the mid-September announcement, King worried that people would read the headlines and misconstrue her paper as an argument that the historical Jesus was married. But the “Gospel of Jesus’s Wife” was written too long after Jesus’ death to have any value as biography—a point King underscores in her forthcoming article in the Harvard Theological Review.

Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/The-Inside-Story-of-the-Controversial-New-Text-About-Jesus-170177076.html#ixzz2775N9njQ

You say you’re spiritual but not religious. I say that your spirituality is limited to your head and not your body. Religion, in spite of all it’s shortcomings (and there are many), is embodied spirituality. It is that place where our spirits come in contact with God and one another. I don’t deny the shortcomings of religion. Nor do I deny that the church at large is often tone deaf to the genuine concerns of sincere people. Ditching the church for a freelanced spirituality only removes important voices from tough conversations we in the church need to have.

This little post from Lillian Daniel has been around for awhile but it is so good that it’s worthy of a re-post. Her wit is acerbic, a bit tough, but good teaching. She takes to task those who cling to a spirituality that has no need for the religion, tradition or the communion of saints.

On top of all that she’s funny.

Spiritual But Not Religious? Please Stop Boring Me.

Scot McKnight takes Diana Butler Bass to task on her latest book Christianity After Religion. Bass explores the phenomenon of people who self-describe as “spiritual but not religious.  Bass contends that they are the new religious (should I say spiritual) norm in our culture. I appreciate the push back that McKnight gives because the term does seem so broad that it is essentially useless. Scot says:

Is something going on? Yes, I believe that. But the closing down of mainline churches is not the same as decline in attendance in American churches. What is going on is partly registered with this SBNR category. I’m with the pastors and clergy Diana finds irritating who think “spiritual but not religious” lacks clarity so in a survey it means so much it may mean almost nothing. It tends to register what people are against (churches) and not what they are for.

Go to SBNR at Jesus Creed for the rest of his article.

There is no denying that religious groups have done bad things throughout the ages. There is no getting away from the fact that the church at large has things to account for. However, “spiritual but not religious” seems less of a position or point of view than a catch all category for those who are both indifferent to or irritated by religion and but unwilling to give up the ghost on faith.

“We constantly try to start from somewhere other than where we are. Truthful living involves being at home with ourselves, not complacently, but patiently, recognizing that what we are today, at this moment, is sufficiently loved and valued … ” – Stanley Hauerwas

Well, I hope it will be more than just one week but Rachel Held Evans, author of Evolving in Monkey Town and the upcoming A Year of Biblical Womanhood is hosting what she calls a “Week of Mutuality” at her blog, racheldheldevans.com. If you are curious about the biblical and theological underpinnings for Christian egalitarianism this week on her blog will not disappoint.

Regardless of the side of this divide you find yourself, you won’t do better than to pay attention to the posts this week at Rachel’s blog. Her posts are clear, winsome summaries of the best arguments for a Christian egalitarianism.