Faith Challenges: It Ain't All Comfort

I know that being called soulless is considered an insult to one’s humanity, compassion, mercy, etc. I don’t mean to offend you in that manner. Meanwhile, I must say, “You don’t have a soul. Neither do I.” You see, according to the Hebrew Scriptures, none of us have souls. We are souls. Soul is the term often translated in our Bibles as being in the context of “a living being.” So, not only do you not have a soul, not only are you a soul, we humans are not the only souls of God’s creation. Case in point, Genesis 1:24 says, “Let the earth bring forth living souls (nephesh hayyah) after their kind.” Then when the narrative gets around to talking about the creation of humanity, the term for soul or living being is not used. In Genesis 2:4, we find the beginning of a different account of creation. This time the description is a little different and in one sense more specific. In Genesis 2:8, God forms humanity out of dust, breathes into him the “breath of the livi...

Every human being thinks they are right. After all, we make up our minds according to the best we know and the best way we know to put those pieces together. Then again, I’ve never met anyone who was right about everything, and nor have you. Our grasp on truth is tenuous, our vision always faulty at some point or another. Paul wrote, “For now we see through a glass dimly, but then face to face.” Those who have some of the best answers are normally those who have discovered the largest amounts of mistakes in their thinking. They discovered problems and shifted their understanding to take new data under consideration. If someone of the clergy tells you they are the ultimate authority on God or the Bible, it’s is a sign of their delusion. It is hubris to make such a claim. If someone points to a particular person or source as the only authoritative voice to be heard or followed, that is also a sign of delusion. There are some things on which we can be rather much categoric...

We have a problem. It’s a theological problem, but it’s more than that—much more than that. On the one hand, we talk openly about an all-loving God. This is the One to Whom we refer when quoting: “For God so loved the world that he sent the only Son.” We also cite from John’s epistles that “Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.” We read and quote Jesus’ words in John’s gospel, “This is my command, that you love one another as I have loved you.” We hear Jesus say, “No one has greater love that this: that he lay down his life for his friends.” The we hear Paul writing about God loving us while we were yet God’s enemies, for that was when Christ died for us. So, yes, we proclaim rather clearly that God is love. We also proclaim rather clearly that we are to love one another according to the standard of love Jesus set before us. “Have this mindset in you which is also in Christ Jesus, … who emptied himself… and became obedient unto death on a cross.” T...

The religious community around Jesus had no kind words about sectors of society. They were certain Torah provided full justification for blanket condemnation of Samaritans, tax collectors, and a women caught in adultery and thrown at Jesus’ feet. Jesus embraced them with no condemnation. They were so sure Jesus was a threat. They were seeking any means of silencing him. They were not above false accusations or paying people to lie about Jesus’ supposed breaches of law. The accusations did not hold up to scrutiny. I’ve been to numerous drag shows at East Frank. I’ve been to drag story hour. I’ve developed relationships with many among the clientele at East Frank, with drag performers, with queer people around us, and others who support this community. I have also heard all sorts of accusations tossed out against them. None of the accusations stands up to scrutiny. I’ve seen videos merging clips from adult drag shows with scenes from East Frank. I’ve heard and s...

Paul was an extremist, a zealot. Protecting the integrity of Judaism and Torah was his mission. His purpose was to bring Israel into God’s good graces, that Messiah might come, deliver Israel from Roman oppression, and re-establish the Davidic monarchy. Going to Damascus to imprison and kill followers of Jesus, Paul was struck blind. That changed his life’s direction. Being zealous for God did not change. His methods, strategies, character, and purpose, however, shifted dramatically. He was as committed as ever. He just accepted that violence against people was misdirected and ill-conceived. God needed no crusaders to wield violence, coercion, and intimidation in God’s name. God wanted us embracing the greater commandment of love. Embracing Jesus as Messiah set aside political goals for Israel. Violence became an inappropriate tool for advancing Jesus’ good news of grace. Paul left those who leveled unfounded accusations against Jesus or his followers. He now bore the...

I woke up this morning and decided to be a woman. I really like the idea of earning less money on the job. I like the idea of being passed over for promotions. I like that I will be held more accountable for the care of my home and familial responsibilities than any of the men around me. I’m looking forward to having my expertise ignored. I like that I’ll more likely be treated as a lower-level assistant to male colleagues than an actual colleague. It should be a good experience to live as more of a target for domestic violence and abuse. It will be so freeing to let go of my bodily autonomy and place it in the hands of men who will not understand me. With so many voices in our society shifting back toward the attitudes of 70 years ago, I am really looking forward to setting aside all trappings of male privilege and power to live as a second class citizen whose voice and opinions are essentially irrelevant. Just look at all the advantages women have! They get t...

My comments for the Union County, NC Board of Education meeting, July 13, 2023. “Failing to do what one knows is right to do is sin.” — James 4:17 After the last BoE meeting, I read the UCPS Core Values. They state in part: Management by Fact The pursuit of quality and operational performance goals of the organization requires that process management be based on reliable data, information and knowledge gained through careful and systematic analysis. This requires that a set of processes are in place to: 1. Collect and analyze relevant data 2. Convert the data to information and knowledge 3. Share it throughout the organization to create the understanding and wisdom that are necessary to make appropriate decisions, solve problems, manage variation in and improve the system continually. Such knowledge must be made available to all internal and external stakeholders. Fairness and Equity All students, staff, a...