In all of Christian culture, the thing I find most absurd is the Catholic Church's prohibition against gluten-free Communion wafers. This sacrament is a means of grace to spiritually feed God's people, but even microscopic levels of gluten make it dangerous to worshipers with celiac disease and other severe gluten sensitivities. Yet the Vatican's dogmatic hierarchy refuses any … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Bends Over Backwards to Accommodate Special Needs
pastor
Beatnik Christianity Trusts Spiritual Directors More Than Pastors
I revere excellent pastors. Unfortunately, they're few and far between. Not only that, they're getting harder to find as American Christian culture's implicit expectations are shifting to more of a "Church CEO" model. These days pastors are chiefly responsible for overseeing programs, increasing attendance, maximizing participation, managing the board, and serving as the … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Trusts Spiritual Directors More Than Pastors
Beatnik Christianity Comforts the Afflicted and Afflicts the Comfortable
The two careers I seriously considered in high school were journalist and pastor. Perhaps it's unsurprising, then, that I'd eventually bring them together with a journalistic philosophy within pastoral ministry. It was in a course on The Life and Work of the Pastor at Baylor's Truett Seminary that I first encountered the idea that a pastor's responsibility is to … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Comforts the Afflicted and Afflicts the Comfortable
