[Jesus] responded,
“Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites,
as it is written:

This people honors me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me;
In vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines human precepts.

You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.”
He went on to say,
“How well you have set aside the commandment of God
in order to uphold your tradition!

I am afraid that Jesus would level this condemnation at the institutional church today. Patriarchal leaders cling to man-made, culturally-laden traditions which excoriate the word of God. Relying on culturally bound scriptural interpretation and looking at it with a jaundiced patriarchal eye, church leaders violate the biblical call to justice. This is particularly true in the unjust treatment of women and gays and lesbians in the church. Continue reading →

The spa can be and often is the my barometer on the political pulse. The topic of late has been Haiti. Why are they letting them come here? Who is going to pay for their medical expenses? (You and me.) When will the orphans [actually orphans awaiting adoption by American couples] going to be sent back? Why are they letting Haitians who were already here stay for 18 months? How will they ever rebuild Haiti? These comments were bracketed by reports on the Gospel sing the night before and going to church the next day? Continue reading →

Jesus came with his disciples into the house.
Again the crowd gathered,
making it impossible for them even to eat.

When his relatives heard of this they set out to seize him,for they said, “He is out of his mind.” (Mk 3:20-21)

Mark wrote the earliest Gospel. Thus, he often relates things that the other evangelists tried to clean up or smooth over. For example, he has James and John themselves asking for a place of honor and power. Matthew softens this by having the mother of James and John ask for the place of honor and power. Continue reading →

Conditions in Cite Soleil 1988 Visit

I have struggled for days with the situation in Haiti. I have never witnessed such extreme suffering. One surgeon I spoke with described the necessary amputations without anesthetic as Civil War medicine.  We, like many others, have prayed for the people and have opened our wallet to make contributions.

Amid the outpouring of prayer, concern, and money for the earthquake victims in Haiti, racism has once again reared its ugly head. “What do you expect—they did not build earthquake proof houses.” (Many of their houses are cardboard lean to shanties.) “I am not giving money because their leaders are corrupt and will steal the money.” (Some leaders in Haiti as well as elsewhere have been lining their own pockets.) “The problem in Haiti is the low IQ of the people there and it cannot be fixed.” These last two comments come from the blog of a New York Times editorial writer and are reported in his column (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/21/opinion/21kristof.html?ref=opinion) Continue reading →