De-Otherizing our Neighbors
Why did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed cross the road?In his book of the same name, Brian McLaren asks how Christians can fully embrace their unique identity and beliefs while affirming beliefs of Jews, Buddhists, Muslims, and people ...
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Keeping Up With Bob
Our rector, Bob, left for his Andean adventure on Monday. Since then, he has updated his blog several times. Check out his photos and hear about his experiences thus far. Also, pray for him as he begins the physically challenging ...
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A Church for Misfits
We Dollars are a family of nerds.I don’t write that as confession, but simple statement of fact. I don't really consider "nerd" an insult, and have noticed increasing instances of the label being used either as mere description o ...
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How you can stand with Baltimore
This originally appeared on OnFaith.Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr…they're all inundated with posts on #BaltimoreUprising—some defending the police, others the protesters, and others questioning if what happened to Freddie Gray would have happened to them. Through the deluge of pos ...
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Confirmation Sunday
This Sunday at St. James’s is Confirmation Sunday. Bishop Ian Douglas will be here to meet with our nine confirmands as they prepare to make mature affirmations of their Baptismal vows.For the past eight months, these teenagers have p ...
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What It Means to Belong to a Church
In January 1999, Daniel and I drove north in an ice storm, leaving our home in Washington, D.C., for a newly rented apartment in West Hartford. At one point, the driver who had all our stuff in his moving van ...
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Introducing a new look at St. James's
In case you missed this in April's Newsletter:Deep within the recesses of the St. James’s Parish House, the rector, Bob, and his trusty assistant rector, Curtis, contemplate the outward and visible presentation of the St. James’s worshipping com ...
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A Call For More Holy Saturday
By the Rev'd Jonathan ChesneyAssistant Rector, Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, Auburn, AlabamaThis is a call for more #HolySaturday. We need it. Not more to do, exactly, it is already too busy a week for easy contemplation; but more space, rather than ...
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A Case for Stating the Obvious on Good Friday
This originally appeared on OnFaith.The Nostra Aetate is a statement by the Vatican declaring the obvious: that all Jews are not directly responsible for Jesus’s death. One might assume that this sort of statement is unnecessary — one of com ...
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Why We Need the Resurrection
I was maybe six or seven years old when my dad asked me, "Do you know what the most important church holiday is?" My answer, of course, was Christmas. When he said that, no, Easter is the most important Christian ...
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