On Fundamentalism and Reconciliation
I originally posted this on my own blog a few weeks ago. As you know, I am not a big fan of fundamentalism. To me, it’s theological school yard bullying. However, sometimes my hatred of fundamentalism makes me do stupid things, like hurt people. First, let me start with my definition of fundamentalism. To me, a fundamentalist is some one who thinks that their interpretation of the Bible is the infallible word of God. Folks who believe that they’re always right and if you don’t fit into their cookie-cutter image then you’re a bad person. Those judgmental, holier-than-thou, authoritative, pious, “I’m right, you’re wrong, get used to it” folks. In the words of Barney Frank, trying to have a conversation with them...
When Lutherans Reconcile
While browsing my Google Reader’s recommendations page, I came across one Nadia Bolz-Weber, pastor and author of the blog Sarcastic Lutheran. At first I was like, “Okay, tattooed female Lutheran pastor . . . interesting.” But the more I read, the more I realized that she has some amazing insights into the Scriptures. One blog entry that got my attention was about a certain Lutheran radio talk show host who would often rip her sermons to shreds on air (figuratively speaking, of course). Well, thanks to a strange twist of fate, the two ended up have a conversation. Excerpt: Yet God paid this very little attention yesterday when, despite us both, my LCMS detractor – slash – conservative Christian radio host and I had a 30 minute long...