The UmBlog

Dear Johnboy It's been awhile since the last letter . It's funny that it has taken me this long to write about the most straightforward example from the mouth of Jesus in the gospels that not everything biblical is Christian. Divorce as discussed in Matthew 19 is as uncontroversial as they come in my opinion. The story starts with the religious elite ask Jesus if divorce is always acceptable. Jesus answers by appealing to the Adam and Eve story and the verse there which says the "two become one flesh" a mysterious work of God. Jesus then reasons if God does this mysterious work, it shouldn't be undone. The religious dudes start rubbing their hands together because later on in the same block of scriptures called the books of Moses, when Moses gives the children of Israel their religious laws, he permits divorce. Jesus responds Moses gave them a concession to hard hearts. Jesus contrasts God and Moses here. It sounds to me like another example that not everythi...

I'm the only one who saw that fight, and I saw it today while meditating, but failing, and instead wrestling with Jeremiah. This past weekend the sinful Floyd Mayweather, Jr.,  undefeated boxer, matched up against the devout fighter, Manny Pacquiao, from the Philippines. According to my completely unscientific survey of my christian twitter and facebook feeds, prayers were rising to heaven for the guy on God's side. But he lost. He did tweet a selfie the next day on his way to church though. Jeremiah was upset about situations like this. Jeremiah 12:1 You are always righteous, Lord, when I bring a case before you. Yet I would speak with you about your justice: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease? 2 You have planted them, and they have taken root; they grow and bear fruit. You are always on their lips but far from their hearts. 3 Yet you know me, Lord; you see me and test my thoughts about you. Drag them of...