Gender roles and sexuality
Mar 2014 Connections. Two Sara Miles books describe her conversion, the food pantries she started, her public observances of Ash Wednesday, and her food-related view of communion. Read and download 3-2014 Connections >
Feb 2014 Connections. Reflections on whether church rules express God’s will, and on readers’ responses to the January 2014 Connections. Read/download 2-2014 Connections >
Jan 2014 Connections. Two disagreements within the UMC are in the secular news: can clergy perform same-sex marriages, and is online Communion permissible? To settle these, does the UMC need more rules or fewer? Both reflect major differences in beliefs… Continue reading →
Dec 2013 Connections. Readers are heartbroken, saddened, and ashamed by my church’s actions, but thankful for my honesty, hope, courage, inspiration, and guiltless discussion. Read/download 12-2013 Connections >
Nov 2013 Connections. 21 years of writing Connections has shown me I’m not alone in my experiences and views, but my congregation now feels more like a wilderness than ever. Read/download 11-2013 Connections
Oct 2013 Connections. Many claims made by churches don’t match what is now known from other sources. Progressive views are too often kept secret, making churches unlikely to survive. Read/download 10-2013 Connections >
Sept 2013 Connections. Today’s focus on metrics can keep churches from focusing on purpose as much as they need to. And continuing to use ancient Christian words and metaphors can be harmful, especially to women. Read/download 9-2013 Connections >
Apr 2013 Downloads. What should churches’ and seminaries’ basic purpose be? What distinguishes church from other community-service groups? Read/download 4-2013 Connections >
Aug 2012 Connections. 2 topics: I’m not a guy; and how to respond to someone in crisis without referring to a Santa-Claus-like God. Read/download 8-2012 Connections >
Sept 2011 Connections. Many Christians retreat into gated communities, and many churches exclude people, while claiming to follow Jesus, who ate with tax collectors and sinners. Read/download 9-2011 Connections >
Feb 1996 Connections. To find God’s will about homosexuality, as about any other subject, we have to look prayerfully and with open minds and hearts. We have to look in a variety of places and consider a variety of views.… Continue reading →
Jan 1996 Connections. God is neither male nor female. By our constant use of masculine titles and pronouns to refer to God, however, we make God seem male. Doing this lets us mistakenly see men as members of God’s… Continue reading →
Dec 1995 Connections. Some Christians consider all feminists dangerous heretics. Based on what I read in the Bible, however, I believe that much of what Christian feminists are saying is similar to what Jesus said and did. We need… Continue reading →