Pastor Brian's Blog

On Sunday morning, June 12, I happened to check my Twitter feed before worship and saw the initial report of an attack on Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida.  As the day progressed, it was reported as the deadliest mass shooting in American history: 49 dead plus the assailant, and 53 others wounded.   This was a hate crime, as well as an act of terrorism.  The shooter targeted the LGBTQ community.  He was armed with weapons he purchased a few days before his attack.   My spirit is heavy because of this violence that was motivated by religious condemnation of homosexuality.   Even as our denomination currently retains harmful "incompatibility" language,  I am grateful that Trinity Church has taken a clear stand against religious condemnation of LGBTQ persons by becoming a "Reconciling" congregation last month.      In response to this horrific event and in solidarity with those targeted, I would offer the follow...

Before their Confirmation, I asked our eighth-graders: “What makes living as a Christian dif ficult ?”  One of the challenges they listed was the competing of religious beliefs and practices among their peers.  Among our Wilmette-area neighbors, there is a wide variety of religious belief and non-belief.  Sixty-seven percent (67%) are Christian, five percent (5%) are Jewish, and twenty-seven percent (27%) have no religious affiliation, sometimes called the “Nones.” 1 The top reasons such people give for not participating in a faith community are its overemphasis on money, judgmental views, and strict beliefs.  However, many people who identify as “spiritual but not religious” are open to outreach. 2   This openness is an invitation to share our faith story, but it is just as important to hear theirs.  One way of doing theological reflection is called “speaking of God in public.” 3   It involves a conversation between Christian revelation and t...