Seasons Go And Seasons Come

"The labor of Paul or of Apollos would have been fruitless if God had not been at work all along.  [1 Corinthians 3:5-11] also makes clear that God’s work continues after we are gone.  Not to be crass, but none of Paul’s own churches are still in existence in the place and way they were when he founded them, but God STILL is giving the growth!  This is foundational for the Church of Jesus Christ, for all churches, and for Parma Christian Church in order for the hope we have of our labors to not be in vain, even as – perhaps especially as – this faithful congregation concludes its visible and regular ministry. There are those who plant, and those who water, but it is God who ultimately gives the growth!"

Upending Empire By Taking A Nap

My position is that if the Church, which has as a fundamental value the concept of sabbath rest, cannot be in the forefront of proclaiming rest as sacred and naps as a form of resistance to injustice then we have failed our divine duty to be a place of counterculture holy work and should close up shop immediately. 

Reimagining and Retooling Faith For An Explosive World

"I have begun to fear we have a reckoning coming that echoes less King’s arc and more the apocalyptic imagery James Baldwin used in his book which I chose as the reading material while on silent retreat the week before my ordination to Christian ministry: God gave Noah the rainbow sign; No more water, the fire next time. So let me zoom in on the world in which I live and work and have the most influence, and that is the mainline Protestant church of the late 20th and early 21st century.   I want to offer five temptations that humanity has struggled with its entire existence, but which we post-moderns are wrestling with in particularly challenging ways right now.  And, lest you think I have given up all hope, I will conclude by offering what I think are antidotes to each and what people of faith, in particular, can do to help change the course of history for the good."

When God’s Work Just Doesn’t Fit With Ours

"But in my almost 30 years in local church ministry and now my 6 ½ years in Regional Ministry I have come to understand the biblical challenge for adaptation, growth, innovation, creativity, and – yes – change is not simply a helpful aspect or nice facet of church life, it has got to be central to our faith, as fundamental as mission and outreach, Christian education, visitation and pastoral care, and weekly communion are.  The need to not simply allow for new and imaginative ways of living our faith in community but to integrate it at every single level of our church’s life has become imperative.  And not only do we need to be completely comfortable with change, but we need to do a lot of it and do it fast." ~Rev. Allen V. Harris

Taking The Blame For Stirring Up Trouble

"We have allowed the basest of voices to claim the so-called “moral high ground” of what the church should focus on and what Christians should believe, even though such “morality” is based on the subjugation of women, unquestioned militarism, conspicuous consumerism, vapid patriotism, and a host of injustices to people who might not fit the mold of the majority.  I stand here today to call Carthage Christian Church and Lorenzo Thomas to stay the course you have set in your lives and that you have confirmed in your call as pastor and congregation.  Take the blame for stirring up trouble, for in doing so you will be in a long lineage of the saints of God who made a difference in the world!"