table manna (Page 81)

Philip James Bailey writes, Who never doubted never half believed; Where doubt, there truth is — ’tis her shadow (from Festus: A Country Town) What role has doubt played in your own faith journey?

Peter Rollins writes, So the question remains… as a Christian, do I believe in God? Well, while I am drawn to the idea that there is a Supreme Being I must confess that I don’t believe in God, at least most of the time. But if you ask me whether I aspire to believing in God then, with all of my being I say yes, yes and again yes… (from blog post:  One day I hope to believe in God) What do…

William Sloane Coffin writes, It is often said that the Church is a crutch.  Of course it’s a crutch.  What makes you think that you don’t limp? (Credo, pg.137) When has the church helped you to walk?

In response to Anne Rice’s decision to “leave Christianity,” Brad Hirschfield writes, I think it would be more interesting for people to claim their “Christian’ness” or “Jewish’ness” or religiosity as they see fit and let those who oppose them deal with the fact that nobody deserves a monopoly on such big, important words. Of course there are people who are done with Christ, Torah, etc. and they will have no use for such terms. But for people like Ms. Rice…

Robert C. Fuller writes, Before the 20th century the terms religious and spiritual were used more or less interchangeably. But a number of modern intellectual and cultural forces have accentuated differences between the “private” and “public” spheres of life. The increasing prestige of the sciences, the insights of modern biblical scholarship, and greater awareness of cultural relativism all made it more difficult for educated Americans to sustain unqualified loyalty to religious institutions. Many began to associate genuine faith with the “private”…

The following is from an interview with Anne Rice in the Los Angeles Times by Mitchell Landsberg on August 7, 2010: Q) Two days before you announced on your Facebook page that you were quitting Christianity, you praised the Lutheran Church for welcoming gay pastors. So why not become a Lutheran, or a member of some other church that shares your views? A) I feel much more morally comfortable walking away from organized religion. I respect that there are all…

Anne Rice writes, My faith in Christ is central to my life. My conversion from a pessimistic atheist lost in a world I didn’t understand, to an optimistic believer in a universe created and sustained by a loving God is crucial to me…But following Christ does not mean following His followers. Christ is infinitely more important than Christianity and always will be, no matter what Christianity is, has been or might become. Is it really possible to follow Jesus on…

This Sunday’s worship will focus on what it means to be spiritual but not religious (SBNR).  We’ll explore what people of faith might learn from the SBNR and what our tradition might have to offer those who identify as SBNR.  We’ll be in conversation with Anne Rice, the popular author of Interview with a Vampire, as an example of SBNR.  Rice announced to the world on Facebook (read reflections on Anne Rice’s announcement here): For those who care, and I…

Frederick Buechner writes, An agnostic is somebody who doesn’t know for sure whether there really is a God.  That is some people all of the time and all people some of the time. There are some agnostics who don’t know simply because they’ve never taken pains to try to find out – like the bear who didn’t know what was on the other side of the mountain. There are other agnostics who have taken many pains.  They have climbed over…

Rev. William Sloane Coffin writes, The only security in life lies in embracing its insecurity.  And faith in Jesus Christ, far from diminishing the risks, inspires the courage to take them on–all of them, including the risk of intellectual uncertainty (Credo, pg 144). What insecurities and risks might your faith be calling you to take on this week?

Sunday’s reading in worship will be from Genesis 32: 3-8, 22-32 (New Revised Standard Version): Jacob sent messengers before him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom, 4instructing them, ‘Thus you shall say to my lord Esau: Thus says your servant Jacob, “I have lived with Laban as an alien, and stayed until now; 5and I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, male and female slaves; and I have sent to tell my lord, in order…

What are you wrestling with these days?