Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him, they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them. (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they thoroughly wash their hands, thus...
Why Are We Happy?
posted by DJL
I came across this TEDTalk after I read Dan Gilbert’s Stumbling on Happiness. In it he offers a great summary of his major thesis: that we misremember many of our experiences and therefore are poor predictors of what makes us happy. But there’s an upside: we’re actually very good at creating what he calls “synthetic” happiness by almost always looking at the bright side. In a reverse of the “sour grapes” phenomenon – perhaps we should call it the “lemonade” phenomenon 🙂 – we are hardwired to make the best of our situations. And if we trust that rather than think we can make...
Mark 6:53-56
posted by DJL
When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat. When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went, into villages or cities or...
Luther on Lutherans
posted by DJL
In case we might be wondering whether denominations are one of those things that “have always been this way,” I thought it might be interesting to consider what one of the original reformers had to say about the notion of dividing into named groups: I ask that people make no...
Five Reasons Denominations are Passé
posted by DJL
A quick, but important caveat: I teach at a denominational seminary, was ordained into and serve in a denomination, and not only take seriously, but take pride in, my Lutheran identity and heritage. Whether that makes you want to take more seriously or dismiss altogether my feelings about denominations is, of course, for you to decide. With that in mind, here are my five chief reasons I not only think the day of denominations has passed but also can’t seem to find it in me to shed many tears about it. 1) Denominations are confusing in a post-Christian world and often an impediment to mission. When the larger culture was nominally...