Bible – black flag theology

Uncrowning the Bramble

I wrote this reflection for Presbyterians for Earth Care. “The trees once went outto anoint a king over themselves.So they said to the olive tree,‘Reign over us.’The olive tree answered them,‘Shall I stop producing my rich oilby which gods and mortals are honored,and go to sway over the trees?’ Then the trees said to theContinue reading “Uncrowning the Bramble”

i can’t do this without you: a sermon on james 5:13-20

I preached this sermon on Sunday, September 27th at Broadway Presbyterian Church in NYC. Prayer: O God who continually loves us, I am grateful. I am grateful that no matter how we’re feeling, you stay the same. I am grateful at your faithfulness even when we’re not faithful. May your spirit linger in this placeContinue reading “i can’t do this without you: a sermon on james 5:13-20”

jean 3:!6 an exitjesus

I had Jean 3:!6* memorized before I entered second grade. 20 years later, I still hold it dear, but in a much different way. Early in my faith, I thought praying Jean 3:!6 was the first and most important step in salvation. I would pray this verse nearly every Sunday. It was paradoxically comforting andContinue reading “jean 3:!6 an exitjesus”

adventure time as a postmodern book of judges

If you haven’t watched Adventure Time, you’re missing out on a delightful, fun, philosophical, and always zany cartoon. Finn and Jake, a young blonde boy and a mustard colored stretching dog, maintain the roles as the heroes in the Land of Ooo. They battle against creatures and kingdoms that harm. And uniquely, there are manyContinue reading “adventure time as a postmodern book of judges”

pentecostalism and weak pneumatology

I presented this paper at the Fordham Theological Graduate Conference on May 2, 2015. It was fun to write and think through my family’s tradition. Enjoy! John Caputo called one Sunday afternoon and said that he wanted to meet me that night at an Assemblies of God church for a revival. I agreed and arrivedContinue reading “pentecostalism and weak pneumatology”

the baptism of jesus and a tree tornado: a sermon

Mark 1:4-11 (NRSV) John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed withContinue reading “the baptism of jesus and a tree tornado: a sermon”

poets against the status quo

Perhaps––who knows––He tires of looking down. Those eyes are never lifted. Never straight. Perhaps sometimes He tires of being great In solitude. Without a hand to hold. – the last stanza of “The Preacher: Ruminates Behind the Sermon” by Gwendolyn Brooks In Plato’s Republic, poets were only welcome if they wrote praises to the gods. No versesContinue reading “poets against the status quo”

radical theology and the lgbtqi+ commmunity (part one): the multivocal scripture

This will be one in a series of posts on LGBTQI+, theology, and Scripture. The rest of the series will be posted this week. Two minutes before I boarded the train the other morning to come back to Philadelphia, I was posed the question, “Do you think that the Bible is against homosexuality?” The questionContinue reading “radical theology and the lgbtqi+ commmunity (part one): the multivocal scripture”