What is our assumed picture of God? Powerful? Glorious? Up in the clouds? With a quiver of lightning bolts? The picture of God that Jesus shows humanity is an inversion of this. What should our assumed picture of God be? One who lays down power to benefit others. That’s particularly hard for Americans to digest, but when we try, it can change us profoundly.
Read MoreThe question of whether you’re “going to heaven” or “going to hell” just isn’t a helpful thing to build one’s faith on. Also, it’s not actually in the teachings of Jesus, or anywhere in the Bible — despite the fact that so many people (both inside and outside of churches) assume it to be.
Read MoreHear about the various ways Brown Line Vineyard can help you connect with other people this winter. From an every other Thursday drinks night to a book study on how to raise children in racially unjust America, we’ve got lots of options…
Read MoreThe American Religious Right’s conflation of faith and partisan politics has been bad for the country and for faith... But, while Vince used to feel the best response to that was to strive to pursue an politically neutral faith (“both sides are equally bad/good when it comes to the model of Jesus”), he now feels that to be just as unsatisfactory... so what now?
Read MoreTrue Peacemaking is accomplished through self-sacrifice, not protecting or preserving the status quo. Without attention to context, Jesus’ comment about bringing “not peace, but a sword” seems (at best) off-brand, and (at worst) became the rallying cry for the Crusades. But with some attention to Jesus’ context, we discover one of his most peacemaking and bridge building statements of all.
Read MoreKyle — with help from an all-time great TED talk by educator Rita Pierson, and from his experience fighting for educational equity in nearby Evanston, Illinois — has personally discovered that Jesus’ strong words about those who put obstacles in the way of children are well-founded. So what are some ways we can be champions for the kids around us?
Read MoreWe've come to feel super helped by the Bible. But when is it appropriate to apply something from the Bible to life today? And when is it inappropriate? How do we know one way or the other? Kyle takes us to a statement from Jesus that proves incredibly useful...
Read MoreThis week we learned about and tried our hands at contemplative prayer, from one of the foremost experts on it: Fr. Richard Rohr (in video form). This kind of prayer is not about solving problems, making judgments, answering questions, or processing stresses. It’s about — in Fr. Rohr’s words — “a long, loving look at the Real” of our lives.
Read MoreWe wonder if the greatest enemy of "belief in God" is not secularism or atheism or religious pluralism -- it is bad "belief in God" -- ugly, cruel versions of "belief in God", or "belief in God" carried out in bad faith. For Easter this year, Kyle leads us in a reflection on the way Jesus' death put to death Bad Faith, and the way Jesus' resurrection invites people into just the opposite: an incredibly magnetic and inviting Good Faith.
Read MoreWrapping up our annual Christmas Carols service, Kyle leads us in a reflection on how to let Jesus' incarnation affect and guide us, on stories from the life of St. Nicholas, and even on the mythology of Santa.
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