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I have a pet peeve. Well, likely a good many but one which comes to mind right now because it’s related to my various fields of interest.

I’ve attended a fair number of churches in my time, either for a visit or, significantly more rarely, a longer stay. I’ve now made churches my profession of sorts, though not being paid by a church does mitigate that reality I suppose. I’ve also helped out in other creative projects and participated in arenas in which the mediocre thrived (my high school) and the amazing become more so (my college). I’ve seen a curious thing over the years which surprises me. The great things that happen are often because the people involved are doing something for themselves, that is they are making something, or building something, or leading something which they enjoy for its own sake. They would go to it even if they didn’t lead. (more…)

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One of the things I am turning over in my head is the motivation behind sin. Talk to some people and they will bring out a well-worn harangue about calling sin a sin, and making sure folks know exactly what sins are being committed. These sorts of people are concerned that God will present them with a list of other people’s sins that weren’t properly admonished, thus losing pool privileges for a 32nd part of eternity. Or maybe such people like to be right, and want others to know that they are right, a fact that becomes even more potent when those others are wrong. It’s nice to be right when someone else is wrong, so nice that a person might feel compelled to seek out those situations if none are immediately presented. Or, more kindly, folks like to point out sins because they genuinely care for others. (more…)

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I spent one decade submerged into a subculture which I didn’t even realize existed at the time. As I found myself escaping the subculture, I realized I was living life only in the “Christian subculture“. Now, after spending a decade on the outside of the “Christian subculture“, I don’t consider myself bitter about the “Christian subculture” but alarmed about it! (more…)

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CHICAGO, May 15.—The Rev. W.W. Reynolds, pastor of the Brightwood Methodist Church of Indianapolis, recently wrote to Capt. Luke Colleran, Chief of the Chicago Detective Department, inquiring if the use of the bicycle among women had affected their morality in any perceptible manner. Although not offering statistics, Capt. Colleran’s reply deals with the subject in a positive manner. (more…)

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It is totally possible to be raised within a grace-based system, and yet develop a performance-based sense of religion. Note that I don’t say “sense of faith,” because by definition performance is not faith. Faith is trust. And level of trust is not a measure of our performance, but of our relationship. God knows our difficulty with trusting, when so much in life is broken. He’s both capable and willing to earn our trust, much as we don’t deserve that grace. But that’s the point of grace. (more…)

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