As I said in my previous post, Rev Wilhelm Loehe trained women to be deaconesses, to serve people in need. His work was in Neuendettelsau, in the middle of the 19th century. Diaconal service was born in the church. As time passed, expectation arose that the care of the sick, elderly, infirm, and disabled is …
Mission EineWelt (One World Mission) is the centre for partnership, development, and mission of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria. It conducts “mission” activities both within and outside Germany. I put “mission” in parentheses because it’s not just about proclaiming the gospel. It’s about apprehending God’s goals for the world, the current state of the …
28 of us sat for about four hours in the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), nodding off on unfriendly seats, waiting for our flight to depart at 2:25 am on Monday morning. The captain of one of the two Airbus 380 planes told us the crew comprised 18 nationalities. I added that piece of trivia …
What does faith have to do with public policy and politics? My “insider experience” of Christian faith spans four denominations, nine congregations, 45 years. For the first 30 years, I kept my faith personal, or within the churches of which I was a member. After the Hindraf and Bersih rallies in 2007 which contested public …
If you could discuss gender with a person who professes an “alternative gender,” would your views on gender change? I put myself to the test. But not by discussing with a real-life person. (I am in circles which includes alternative gender persons.) Because that would take too long, would be too scattered, and too hard …
Straight: The Surprisingly Short History of Heterosexuality Read More »
To-date, I’ve avoided discussing transgender[1] persons. Why? Because I prefer not to write on subjects about which I don’t have firm opinions. But today, I feel compelled to write about transgender persons. Below, I’ll explain why. I wish to speak calmly through a long essay, rather than through short bursts which quickly deteriorate into battles …
What do you think of transgender persons? Six theses. Read More »
Yesterday I preached the Sunday sermon. One member kindly told me it was too subtle. On reflection, I agree. Here, I’ll try to be more explicit. I titled my sermon “Real life leaders.” I spun the title from the text, from news headlines, and from my soul. Choosing a title is difficult. I rejected many …
“Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Martin Luther has received more than 15,367,261 page views. His biography is available in 173 different languages on Wikipedia … Martin Luther is the 4th most popular religious figure … the 4th most popular biography from Germany and the most popular German Religious Figure.” That’s from the Pantheon …
Perhaps you’ve heard the story. Of the violin. At the auction. Bids for it stopped at $25. The auctioneer was about to say “going, going, gone.” But a man interrupted. The man got up. Dusted off the violin. Played it with passion. Everyone heard it. The sound was heavenly. The man sat down. The auctioneer …
I feel compelled to give the backstory of the sermon (49:33) I preached yesterday, and to reinforce and summarize it. John Calvin famously said that our hearts are idol-factories. We want God to give us peace, tranquillity, comfort. Therefore, we shape him so. We spiritualize texts. Take for example Psalm 23, the shepherd song. We …
