As we enter a new year, I’m going to go out on a not-very-long limb and declare 2016 the Year of the Displaced. I do this to call attention to the fact that “one out of every 122 people alive today is someone who, at some point, was forced to leave his or her home“.
2016: The Year of the Displaced Read More »
The first Sunday of Advent is November 29th. Here’s everything you need to know about celebrating the season with Gentle Spirit Christian Church. Worship Services Teddy Bear MinistryEvery year we collect teddy bears and stuffed animals during the Advent season and distribute them to patients in local hospitals and hospitals to spread Christmas cheer and
Christmas 2015: Worship Services, Lectionary & Ministries Read More »
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. The well-known first paragraph of the preamble of the Declaration of Independence is an absolute revelation of both human rights
A New Declaration of Independence Read More »
While I am excited beyond words that marriage equality is now the law of the land, from sea to shining sea, let me assure you that Gentle Spirit Christian Church is not in any danger of becoming a Vegas-style wedding chapel. In fact, the only thing that will change for us is that we will
Our Policy on the Sacrament of Marriage Read More »
Remember the Arab Spring? Fueled by social media, the people of several Arab nations started taking to the streets five years ago to demand a different way of life, a change in the relationship they have with their governments. Now granted, the Egypt, Libya and Syria of today may not look exactly like what we
American Spring: Marriage equality and the arc to justice Read More »
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” (Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.) The name Emanuel means “God is with us”. And as if one needed any more evidence that God is with the grieving survivors of Dylann Roof’s rampage at Emanuel African Methodist
Calvary in Charleston: How forgiveness overcame guns, flags and hate Read More »
Today we are all Charlestonians. As the people of the Holy City grapple with the senselessness of what happened at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, the rest of us struggle along with them to make sense of the tragic murder of nine souls in a place where they fully expected to be safe from the
Prayers for Charleston Read More »
Time for an (almost) summer-school pop quiz: Of the following, which would you say is the most important to the average person on Atlanta’s streets right now? Answer key: #4, Basic human dignity. In this exercise, #4 is the “all of the above” answer, because the other three answers are contained in it. When we
Summer School in the Streets of Atlanta Read More »
As Christians we’re commanded to love our neighbors as ourselves. And for the most part, we have a tendency to focus on the first part of that command without really thinking about what the latter half actually means. In an individual sense, I believe it’s just as important to God that we master the art
Keeping Up With Caitlyn Read More »
This Sunday we will turn our church inside out, head toward downtown Atlanta, and let the people who live on its streets teach us the Gospel. We do it once a quarter, and we call it something along the lines of “hygiene kits ministry” or “homeless ministry”. But the real ministry is happening in reverse.
What the Homeless Will Teach Us This Sunday Read More »