Post-Secular Person Likes World Better Than Church.

[Lamia]

Hi,

 

I'm a Presbyterian pastor who doesn't like church or religion very much. There was a favorite bar I'd frequent after work, write my sermons there and pass them around for comment and critique. American cultural mores (I lived overseas for 15 years) are much too rigid and self-righteous for me, and kindred spirits could be social justice type persons who pray by action rather than by words. My great great great (etc.,) grandmother came over on a ship from Scotland and landed on the coast of North Carolina. She was a Covenanter Presbyterian who married an Anglican fighting with the rebels. These two, in turn, sired an itinerant Methodist preacher who, for an income, served as an abolitionist judge....so this streak of "what the hell" runs in my family.

 

Meanwhile, I got a Ph.D., in philosophical theology, all of which means I read Derrida and Kristeva, Barth and Niehbuhr (Reinhold), plus carry Rumi in my pocket and inscribe his poetry on Christmas cards. I am what Presbyterians used to be: passionately concerned about God's world and consider myself a happy, public, indentured servant to Christ, who is Head of the Church and who happens to love Neruda, when he isn't in a bar listening to the petitions of bar tenders on behalf of their flock (oops, customers).

 

Hope the conversations prove fruitful

 

Lamia

[soma]

Lamaia, I like your style, welcome and look forward to your post. Soma

[Lamia]

Lamaia, I like your style, welcome and look forward to your post. Soma

 

Off to Washington tomorrow for Ecumenical Advocacy Days and doin' a little lobbyin' on Monday. Letcha know what happened.

Thanks for your welcome

Lamia