tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62503252011-04-21T18:42:43.782-07:00A resource page associated with <a href="http://www.flannel-christian.blogspot.com">Flannel Christian</a>.Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09870710597732043470noreply@blogger.comBlogger331100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250325.post-43501343696479808252007-05-29T11:17:00.000-07:002008-12-10T01:31:35.670-08:00

The following is a paper I submitted recently in a class on Community of Christ Scriptures, specifically the Book of Mormon. The assignment was to take a pre-selected portion of text and examine it from one of any several positions - ranging from traditional/historical to something closer to the postmodern view I assume here. Rather than adopt a perspective I didn't agree with (as valuable an

Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09870710597732043470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250325.post-6638932771860386902007-02-11T22:03:00.000-08:002008-12-10T01:31:35.965-08:00

Notes from a sermon preached at Renton Congregation on February 11, 2007.Luke 6:20-26It has been said that the Sermon on the Plain, with Matthew's parallel Sermon on the Mount, serve as the constitution of the Kingdom of God. In each of these Gospels, this is the first and biggest sermon Jesus gives – laying down the outline and theme of the in-breaking reign of God. Is there something behind

Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09870710597732043470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250325.post-84946170900296108642007-01-22T12:11:00.000-08:002007-01-22T12:17:50.863-08:00

Adoptionism Through the CenturiesBy [Flannel Christian]History of Christian Thought IJanuary 2007Description and Definition of AdoptionismAdoptionism, in a broad sense, is a Christology in which Jesus, as (a) man, is the adoptive Son of God. What precisely is meant by that varies among successive proponents of the theory. It is fundamentally an attempt to wrestle with the scriptural and

Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09870710597732043470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250325.post-75902214298854432222007-01-13T09:44:00.000-08:002007-01-13T10:04:27.663-08:00

What follows is a paper I recently wrote for a Christian Theology class in Seminary. I chose the topic of naturalist approaches to God, and was limited to ten pages. How do you begin to discuss postmodern, pragmatist, process naturalist theological contexts, let alone assemble and evaluate some syntheses of those... in ten pages?! Well, that was my mistake. What follows is the product -

Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09870710597732043470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250325.post-1157986233011915412006-09-11T07:34:00.000-07:002006-09-11T07:55:39.593-07:00

Sermon for Day Before 9-11And this afternoon and tomorrow, when we are bombarded with flag-waving, speeches and television exposes, when the news and remembrances and emails start circulating, meant to whip us up into a frenzy of patriotic fear and prejudice, especially then we need to remember who we are. We are no longer captive to the world’s notions of enemies and revenge. We have been set

Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09870710597732043470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250325.post-1150841013847212872006-06-20T15:01:00.000-07:002006-06-20T15:03:33.856-07:00

"Christian preaching was meant to be an alternative to violence. Jesus is God’s alternative to violence . . . and the church is to be his disciple. Some will say that all this isn’t what preaching is for. We can say this only because real preaching hasn’t been dared. We can say this only because our reliance on violence and our practice of offering our preaching in service to the state is a

Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09870710597732043470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250325.post-1144342505180369302006-04-06T09:52:00.000-07:002006-04-06T09:59:38.790-07:00

"An early Christian manuscript, including the only known text of what is known as the Gospel of Judas, has surfaced after 1,700 years. The text gives new insights into the relationship of Jesus and the disciple who betrayed him, scholars reported today. In this version, Jesus asked Judas, as a close friend, to sell him out to the authorities, telling Judas he will "exceed" the other disciples by

Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09870710597732043470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250325.post-1143152271266979432006-03-23T14:16:00.000-08:002006-03-23T14:17:51.266-08:00

Oxford, Ohio (ENI). A group of 25 people based in a Catholic Worker Community in New York City have drawn international attention for their protest against the US policy on the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.Members of the group, known for its support of non-violence, launched Witness Against Torture, a campaign which culminated in a protest and prayer vigil in mid-December outside the prison camp

Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09870710597732043470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250325.post-1143152177198251742006-03-23T14:14:00.000-08:002006-03-23T14:16:17.210-08:00

Porto Alegre, Brazil (ENI). The World Council of Churches has condemned terrorism but in doing so has urged its members to challenge the idea of the "war on terror", warning that anti-terrorist legislation risks violating human rights."Every attempt to intimidate others by inflicting indiscriminate death and injury upon them is to be universally condemned," the WCC assembly meeting in Brazil

Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09870710597732043470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250325.post-1133279514169960562005-11-29T07:51:00.000-08:002005-11-29T14:31:15.203-08:00

Conscientious Objector is Tortured and Killed for Refusing to Fight in WWIfrom The Bruderhof CommunityOn (or about) this day in 1918, Joseph Hofer, a Hutterite conscientious objector to military service, after weeks of torture, starvation and inhumane imprisonment, died in Leavenworth prison."They were handcuffed to the cellhouse bars, eight hours a day for two weeks. They were put with their

Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09870710597732043470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250325.post-1131550255789947682005-11-09T07:25:00.000-08:002005-11-09T07:30:55.800-08:00

Even the blind can see that economic progress entails the oppression and murder of thousands – that big business rules by sheer power and deceit... A capitalistic society can be maintained only by lies. But we are a long way from revolt. Most pious and even many working people think, “Rich and poor have to be.” They ignore the fact that it is impossible to amass any kind of fortune without

Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09870710597732043470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250325.post-1131476549681368922005-11-08T10:27:00.000-08:002005-11-08T11:05:46.913-08:00

Where It BelongsOver the weekend, workers at an Israeli prison camp holding primarily Palestinian prisoners of conscience reported (CNEWS) (BBC) finding of what may be the oldest Christian church in Israel. Most impressive was the surprisingly well-preserved mosaic flooring featuring both text and sacred symbolic images.Speculations immediately began, with glee, about the potential tourist draw

Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09870710597732043470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250325.post-1131116891089119402005-11-04T07:06:00.000-08:002005-11-04T07:08:11.100-08:00

Everywhere in these days people have, in their mockery, ceased to understand that the true security is to be found in social solidarity rather than in isolated individual effort. But this terrible state of affairs must inevitably have an end, and all will suddenly understand how unnaturally they are separated from one another. It will be the spirit of the time, and people will marvel that they

Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09870710597732043470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250325.post-1130858446337529482005-11-01T07:18:00.000-08:002005-11-01T07:20:46.346-08:00

C. S. Lewis Fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement. He is a rebel who must lay down his arms. Laying down your arms, surrendering, saying you are sorry, realizing that you have been on the wrong track and getting ready to start life over again from the ground floor - that is the only way out of a hole. This process of surrender - this movement full speed astern - is

Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09870710597732043470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250325.post-1130192958089346152005-10-24T15:22:00.000-07:002005-10-24T15:29:18.096-07:00

Dublin (ENI). The Roman Catholic archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, has said that being gay should not prevent a man becoming a Catholic priest.http://www.eni.ch/articles/display.shtml?05-0775

Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09870710597732043470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250325.post-1129131142838099642005-10-12T08:24:00.000-07:002008-01-21T09:05:19.048-08:00

A Reflection on a World Conference ControversyBy [Flannel Christian]This piece was published in the October 2005 issue of The Herald, the Community of Christ world church magazine.One of the most amazing things at the recent World Conference was the membership’s response to become a prophetic church. What was viewed by some as discontent or lack of faith, seemed to me an inspiring testimony of

Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09870710597732043470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250325.post-1128720285115099922005-10-07T14:14:00.000-07:002005-11-04T07:15:03.873-08:00

Psalm 23 and the ExileBy Christian Neill SkoorsmithFirst Published on DesperatePreacher.com, October 2005(For Pentecost +21)Do you remember those 7-UP commercials from a few years back? They had a whole string of them - a group of young people out in the desert or along some abandoned byway, and it's oppressively hot and the sun's beating down and everything's dry - no one can hardly move, it's

Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09870710597732043470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250325.post-1124207526463262522005-08-16T08:47:00.000-07:002005-11-04T07:19:06.303-08:00

A sermon for Pentecost 14Exodus 1:8-2:10; Romans 12:1-8By Christian Skoorsmith(First published on DesperatePreacher.com, August 2005)How many of you have ever broken a rule? (show of hands)How many of you have ever broken a law? (show of hands) Honestly? (Never broken the speed limit?)How many of you have ever broken a rule out of principle, out of selflessness rather than selfishness – a rule

Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09870710597732043470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250325.post-1124207221518953262005-08-16T08:43:00.000-07:002008-01-21T09:02:24.500-08:00

A Sermon for Pentecost 10By [Flannel Christian](First Published by DesperatePreacher.com, July 2005)We all know the story of Aladdin and his magic lamp. Remember, when he rubs it a genie comes out and offers to grant him three wishes. Through some creative wording, he manages to get a couple more, but the point is that he can’t just keep on wishing willy-nilly. He has to choose what he would

Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09870710597732043470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250325.post-1124207005905583162005-08-16T08:37:00.000-07:002005-08-16T09:14:55.320-07:00

A Sermon for Pentecost 5Genesis 21:8-21, Matthew 10:24-39(First published by DesperatePreacher.com, May 2005)It’s the classic problem, really: Why do bad things happen to good people?It’s a loaded question—with hints of doubt, anger and fear—it threatens our sense of justice and of God’s goodness. It has been a question that for centuries theologians, prophets, and common everyday people like us

Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09870710597732043470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250325.post-1100734099196742882004-11-17T15:23:00.000-08:002008-01-21T09:04:36.155-08:00

The following is a working draft of an article attempting to express my belief that Christianity has less to do with Jesus being God and more to do with real-world actions that destroy or create Zionic conditions. "Zion" is Restoration-speak for what most Christians call the kingdom of God--that climate of relationships that is hinted at in Isaiah when he writes of the Lion and the Lamb laying

Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09870710597732043470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250325.post-1100733459900651062004-11-17T15:14:00.000-08:002008-01-21T09:03:44.141-08:00

The following is an article I wrote partly in response to the material provided in the Elder's Temple School course packet, and partly to articulate to others what I have found helpful in writing and presenting my sermons over the past couple of years. It is presently slated to be printed in the March issue of the Herald.Revolutions of the WordPreaching with Scripture in a Post-modern WorldBy [

Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09870710597732043470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250325.post-1078270257057974242004-03-02T15:30:00.000-08:002004-03-02T15:33:54.780-08:00

An excerpt from: Resurrection - Myth or Reality? By John Shelby Spong One essay from the Search for Jesus series ...Let me be specific about the following parts of the resurrection story: An angel did not descend from the sky on the wings of an earthquake to roll away the stone from the door of the tomb in order to make the resurrection announcement. A deceased man did not walk out of his

Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09870710597732043470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250325.post-1078270041406225602004-03-02T15:27:00.000-08:002004-03-02T15:30:19.170-08:00

From Spong's Online Forum "The Passion of the Christ" — Mel Gibson's Film and Biblical Scholarship Mel Gibson's motion picture, "The Passion of the Christ," went public on Ash Wednesday. People can now see for themselves a film that has been hyped by advance showings to evangelical clergy and conservative Catholics, including Pope John Paul II. It has been praised by Protestant fundamentalists,

Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09870710597732043470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250325.post-1073680562003793702004-01-09T12:34:00.000-08:002004-01-09T12:36:21.990-08:00

"I did not decide to embrace humanism and then cast about for the best version of it; I was and remain a Christian, who found that a humanist approach to my religion made more sense than a supernatural one." With a beginning like that, this discussion of a humanist Christianity is engaging and insightful. Well worth reading. You can find it here: http://humanists.net/bernt_rostrom/chrsthum.htm.

Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09870710597732043470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250325.post-1073680026861333882004-01-09T12:22:00.000-08:002004-01-09T15:06:54.623-08:00

How can naturalism inspire spiritual experience? Although I use the words spirituality and faith differently, this article contends that just as we can be good without God, we can experience spirituality without spirits, and works around the dualism of typical conceptions of spirituality. "I hope to show that in its dualism, the traditional notion of spirituality in effect sets up problems of

Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09870710597732043470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250325.post-1073065526918524382004-01-02T09:40:00.000-08:002004-01-02T09:45:44.860-08:00

Not according to Glenn Melancon. In a recent article at the History News Network, the Southeastern Oklahoma State University Associate Professor of History writes: "The myth that the United States is founded on the "Judeo-Christian Bible" persists and prospers despite readily available evidence. Contrary to popular belief, the Founding Fathers rejected the biblical model in favor of a secular

Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09870710597732043470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250325.post-1072728010303451002003-12-29T11:52:00.000-08:002003-12-29T12:00:27.840-08:00

Walter Wink, a noted Christian theologian, presents a scientistic reformulation of God, theology and prayer in his article "The Next Worldview: Spirit at the Core of Everything" (Fellowship, May/June '03). He argues for a more rational, even scientific(-ish) employment of "God" and understanding of Creation, Prayer, Mysticism and even Eternal Life. Starting with an overview of past worldviews,

Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09870710597732043470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250325.post-1072471042856408462003-12-26T12:35:00.000-08:002005-08-16T09:07:17.616-07:00

(How Can We, As Brights, Speak With Christians About Christmas?)BirthdaysMerry Christmas! Is everyone ready for Christmas? (To kids) Do you know what Christmas is? What is Christmas? What do we remember on Christmas? (Jesus’ birthday.)Birthdays are pretty special, aren’t they? Do you have a birthday? When is it? Why do we celebrate birthdays? (Give them presents for answers—those $.25

Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09870710597732043470noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250325.post-1072470886905487022003-12-26T12:34:00.000-08:002008-01-21T09:00:57.754-08:00

Jonah and the Whale of a Good TimeHighland Park CongregationMay 11, 2003[Flannel Christian], SpeakingSo Jonah is walking down Fauntleroy one day, minding his own business, and God comes walking up to him. Now this wasn’t as surprising to Jonah as it might seem to us, because God was a lot more personable back then, talking and bantering with the people in the Temple and in the country-side. But

Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09870710597732043470noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250325.post-1072470833113596892003-12-26T12:32:00.000-08:002008-01-21T09:00:15.555-08:00

A Sermon About SacrificeEaster Sunday, 2003Rainier Congregation, Seattle[Flannel Christian], SpeakingSacrifice. It is what brings us here today. It is what brought Jesus to Jerusalem, the Jews to the Passover table, and Job to his knees. The whole Bible is chock-full of sacrifice—God seems to be constantly asking for sacrifices, people are always offering sacrifices, and if there is some sort

Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09870710597732043470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250325.post-1072470708606207302003-12-26T12:27:00.000-08:002008-01-21T08:59:27.561-08:00

Creation and Agency(As a note, Sundays are typically themed by the World Church, and although it is not required that a speaker stick to it, the theme does provide some organizational unity to the ones preparing the service, and so I try to acknowledge that as much as possible. This would not have been my choice for a theme, but it does make for a challenge.)Fearfully and Wonderfully

Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09870710597732043470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250325.post-1072470431278775532003-12-26T12:15:00.000-08:002007-01-25T09:04:45.351-08:00

I'm starting this blog, simply said, because I haven't found anything like it as a resource on the web yet. This is a place I want to encourage the discussion of how those who find themselves naturalists and willing participants in a religious (in my case Christian) tradition can navigate between dogma and devotion, amid tradition without relinquishing reason; how we can be both religious and

Christianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09870710597732043470noreply@blogger.com0