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. Ed Thompson - Minister of Music
A Minister’s Message – Reflections On Pain – May 10, 2022
One day last week I came across a quotation that has stayed with me. “All great spirituality is about what we do with our pain.” This was penned by Richard Rohr in a book called Adam’s Return. It got me thinking about the various options: hiding our pain; denying our pain; projecting our pain; wallowing […]
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. Ed Thompson - Minister of Music
A Minister’s Message – Tuning In – April 13, 2022
Oddly enough, sometimes our social media, although created with the aim of connecting people, can cause us to feel more isolated than ever. We know how people in the most remote areas of the world are suffering and yet we do not know what is happening to our next-door neighbor. But it is not just […]
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 […]
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