In a recent New York Times article author and philosophy professor Scott Hershovitz lays out the problem of why an all-powerful God would allow suffering to happen at all. He quotes his teenage son who says: “For real, God is pretend, and for pretend, God is real.” That is, we believe in God when it […]
by Rev. Dr. John T. Morehouse - Senior Minister
A Minister’s Message – Human Nature and Humanism – May 3, 2022
A great deal of ink has been spent on discussing the nature of humanity. It is an important discussion, especially as it relates to creating theology. After all, if we think humanity is depraved and sinful, our understanding of a greater reality will reflect that, such as in the concept of original sin. If we […]
by Rev. Dr. John T. Morehouse - Senior Minister
A Minister’s Message – Context is Everything – April 26, 2022
One of the most important considerations in developing a theology is the context in which we search for greater meaning. Where we are — in terms of age, ethnicity, class and location — has everything to do with how we search for and find greater meaning. For most of us, our context is of privileged, […]
by Rev. Dr. John T. Morehouse - Senior Minister
A Minister’s Message – What is Theology? – April 20, 2022
Some of you have been fortunate to have taken the course “Building Your Own Theology” either with me or with our Minister Emeritus, Frank Hall. It’s a great course that helps each participant fashion a theology for themselves. It asks us to consider our history (religious and otherwise), our views on human nature, the place […]
by Rev. Dr. John T. Morehouse - Senior Minister
A Minister’s Message – Unnatural Grace – April 5, 2022
In the parable of the Prodigal Son, Jesus tells the story of a father who has two sons. The younger son asks for his portion of inheritance from his father, who grants this request. The son then squanders his fortune and eventually becoming destitute. As a consequence, he now must return home empty-handed and intends […]
by Rev. Dr. John T. Morehouse - Senior Minister
A Minister’s Message – Be Curious – March 29, 2022
“Be Curious, Not Judgmental” is a quote often attributed to Walt Whitman. While Whitman did not write those exact words, the truth of this statement might as well be his. In a world that seems so fractured, it is easy to judge the actions of others from the frame of our own reference. Our rush […]
by Rev. Dr. John T. Morehouse - Senior Minister
A Minister’s Message – Going On – March 23, 2022
The organ proposal has been withdrawn. I saw and felt the negative impact this was having on our beloved community. I decided to withdraw my support and the Organ Committee agreed. They have withdrawn their proposal. I believe this is the best decision. Sometimes, the very best course of action is to breathe. We all […]
by Rev. Dr. John T. Morehouse - Senior Minister
A Minister’s Message – Empathy – March 15, 2022
There is so much coming at us right now: the receding pandemic, racial injustice, gender equity, political dysfunction and environmental catastrophe. Couple all this with our lively debate about a new organ, and you might think the world is coming apart… again. But it’s not. This is not the end of the world. This is […]
by Rev. Dr. John T. Morehouse - Senior Minister
A Minister’s Message – Loving Choices – February 16, 2022
A story crossed my desk several years ago about a nine year old boy in Memphis TN who lived in his house for over a month with his dead mother. She had died of cancer and the child, not knowing what to do, covered her up, went to school, shopped for food, cooked his meals […]
by Rev. Dr. John T. Morehouse - Senior Minister
A Minister’s Message – Becoming Spring – February 8, 2022
It’s not that hard to imagine Spring making her arrival in a matter of weeks. Of course, mid-winter thaws always tease us into hope. But hope is a meaning-maker in our lives nonetheless. Thoreau said of these shoulders between seasons, “As every season seems best to us in its turn, so the coming in of […]
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