Tag: Church

The United Methodist Church is in upheaval, and there are no easy answers. But the upheaval has exposed a lack of integrity and a tyrannical grab for power that has left me disappointed and heartbroken. The rift began when gay ministers were ordained, and gay marriages were sanctioned in various ...

It’s been five years since I last stepped into a church. Occasionally, I bump into old church friends who ask me if I’ll ever find my way back, and it’s a question that’s been on my mind, too. I was not just your average run-of-the-mill church-goer either. I was a Pastor &...

It’s been five years since I last stepped into a church. Occasionally, I bump into old church friends who ask me if I’ll ever find my way back, and it’s a question that’s been on my mind, too. I was not just your average run-of-the-mill church-goer either. I was a Pastor &...

Trigger warning: This article contains negative references to the LGBTQIA+ community and religious beliefs that may upset some readers. “I believe there are only two genders: male and female,” my preteen son said, out of the blue, as we rounded the corner of our street. We were t...

A Solano Church Member’s Bible Mission To The Holy Land, Deconstruct’s Myths, Falsehoods and a glimmer of hope for Global Peace Special Report By Ben Edokpayi A few days after Vacaville resident Pam Gore returned from a 3-months Missionary work in the Holy Land, Israeli Prime Minis...

I moved from London to Church Stretton twenty-five years ago. Another couple of decades and I may soon be considered a local! Church Stretton lies in the English county of Shropshire. Now, many UK residents struggle to pinpoint Shropshire on a map. When I told work colleagues in London I was...

The murder of George Floyd in May of 2020 was an unspeakable tragedy that sent shockwaves around the world and revived the “Black Lives Matter” movement. The incident brought issues like racial discrimination and injustices towards people of color back into the limelight like never befor...

We need you “working in our churches… We just don’t need you to be the pastors of our churches.” This statement is one of the more recent inflammatory comments made by a sexist male church leader. The largest Protestant denomination in America recently voted&...

The UK Methodist Church has kicked up a storm across social media and the right-leaning British media with its newly released inclusive language guidance for ministers. The recently published “Inclusive Language Guide” aims to assist Methodist leaders and members in navigati...

Early in the Covid-19 pandemic, some denialist pastors bucked public health orders and insisted on continuing in-person church services. Soon though, the majority of U.S. churches transitioned gatherings, historically housed in sanctuaries and pews, to a virtual scape. Certainly, many larg...

“Did you hear? There’s a girl with another church who says she’s a lesbian!” another little girl exclaimed, followed by a chorus of embarrassed giggles from her listeners. I was eight years old when this happened, in the summer between the 3rd and 4th grades. It was m...

I’m always fascinated when folks declare they have no regrets; I regret almost everything. I was born into an Evangelical Christian home in 1962. I knew from my first cognizant moment that I was a girl, but I had to argue that fact as soon as I could talk. A pesky protrusion noted on my birth ...

“Did you hear? There’s a girl with another church who says she’s a lesbian!” another little girl exclaimed, followed by a chorus of embarrassed giggles from her listeners. I was eight years old when this happened, in the summer between the 3rd and 4th grades. It was m...

I cannot tell you how ashamed I feel typing that title. I admit, I never gave a thought to white supremacy in my church back in the 1970s and early 1980s. I should clarify — throughout junior high and high school I attended two churches. The primary community, which my family attended, was an ...

I don’t know how many times I have seen a predominantly White congregation with a “Black Lives Matter” sign (and probably a Pride flag) out on the lawn. Most of the time, I shake my head in disappointment because I know the drill. Spoiler alert: probably zero black or queer fo...

After discovering this diagram and reading about holobionts, I now have three more articles I want to write about how this concept might shift our concept of human individuality in interesting ways… But, I’m going to hold steadfast and today we’re going to talk about church a...

For decades, our DNA was seen as a fixed blueprint, dictating our fate with unwavering precision. But a new dawn is breaking, where the once-immutable strands are revealing their surprisingly fluid nature. Epigenetics, the study of how our environment and experiences influence gene expression withou...

A review of some recent history- I honestly have to list King Crimson as one my favorite bands musically, but few things give me more of a kick than triggering King Crimson fans if for no other reason because nothing has been better for getting me hits here on Medium. I ran into the central figure b...

I am on the fence about going to an event in California, that being Church of Ambrosia’s Spirituality and Beyond 4, an event associated with the mushroom church and associated mushroom dispensary Zide Door in Oakland. I love that dispensary- it’s in an awful neighborhood, it has quality ...

The church bell is an asset from times before everyone had a smartphone in his hand and wouldn’t leave the house without a watch with him. The church bell would wake up the people, tell them when to have lunch, and also tell them when it is time to finish up work. You would also know if som...

If you live near an airport or train station, the noise from planes and trains seriously disrupts your life, you can file a lawsuit for damages, and sometimes you’ve a good chance to win. But if you are living in an area where the church bells ring the whole day, so you can’t sleep at...