ROMANS 13 AND THE SECOND AMENDMENT When I seek to make an ethical decision, I look to interface the Word and the world. Bonhoeffer’s dictum of: “We cannot experience the reality of the world without the reality of God, nor the reality of…

VOTING IS SERVING-PART 2 As we vote, so do we serve. As we vote, we serve and promote values and strategies. Last week in VOTING IS SERVING, we read of Donald Trump’s program for gun violence prevention (GVP). This week we will look…

VOTING IS SERVING Who we vote for is whom we serve. Why? We choose to agree with their positions, or most of them. Voting is giving assent to a candidate’s positions. Assent is serving. We will consider Hillary’s and Trump’s positions on gun…

COUNTING THE COST Clergy must always count the cost. What will be the cost for speaking out? Will people leave? Will offerings dip? Will I be asked to leave? Will the congregation be strengthened? Will our faithfulness be tested? Will the cost further…

GUNS AND POLITICS: CONNECTING THE DOTS The difference is glaring! the Democrats support reasonable gun violence prevention, universal background checks, an assault weapons ban and banning those on the Terrorist Watch List from purchasing guns. The Republicans support none of them. In short,…

LIGHTS OF HOPE! Addressing gun violence prevention (GVP) means playing the “long game!” Progress is like a “dim glow!” Yet, there have been beams of light recently for which we can be grateful and give encouragement. THE SUPREME COURT: Recently, the USSC issued…

GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION ACTION It was a great day! The ELCA Churchwide Assembly “…refer[red] to the Church Council, in consultation with staff of the churchwide organizations, consideration of the request for establishing an ELCA Task Force to organize actions consistent with ELCA policy…

INTERFAITH INSPIRATION! Last evening, I participated in an Interfaith Service to End Gun Violence at St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral. The service featured a young violinist playing a Bach sonata, Gospel music and traditional hymns. Speakers and prayer leaders from Zen Buddhism, Muslim, Jewish…

CHURCH INTEGRITY AND GUNS Recently on Facebook, a clergy colleague announced that he would delete any political and social commentary from his page, that he wanted only comments relating to specific church/faith formation. OK, I can respect his wish. But his underatnding of…

AMOS 2016-SENATE SHAME 20 June 2016 is a day of Senate shame. Four gun violence prevention (GVP) bills were defeated. The massacres in San Bernardino and Orlando could not move the Senate to the 60 vote threshold. The two DEM bills promoting expanded…