Wednesday, June 22, 2022

"Summer Solstice" Haiku

"Summer Solstice"

Marked
By
The
Firelight

A
Summer
Solstice
Delight

Embers
Rise
To
Night
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Monday, June 20, 2022

A Prayer for West Virginia Day

West Virginia became a state on June 20, 1863. I composed this original prayer for the 2022 celebration of West Virginia's birthday. I used it in worship at the Bethlehem United Presbyterian Church, Wheeling, WV on Sunday, June 19, 2022.

Shine, O Lord, upon our Mountain State,
from the rocky summit of Spruce Knob
to the waters of the Potomac and Shenandoah at Harpers Ferry,
from Chester to Bluefield,
and from Cabell County to Jefferson County,
and all places in between.
Shine, O Lord, upon all Mountaineers,
that armed with only our freedom,
and with a single purpose,
we may live, work, and worship
among your West Virginia Hills. Amen.
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Tuesday, June 14, 2022

Unofficial Haiku of the 2022 West Virginia Writers Conference

Writers
Writing
Words
 
Co-creating
With
I
Am
 
Spring
Has
Sprung
Anew
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Monday, June 13, 2022

Words of Grace and Inspiration

I was asked if I would be willing to say a few words of grace before the West Virginia Writers 2022 Conference Banquet. I appreciate all those who thanked me for them afterward. Here are the words.


I invite you to focus your heart and mind
on The Transcendent around and among us.

Wonderful Weaver of ageless mysteries,
who centuries ago, inspired writers of sacred texts
and today still fills authors with amazing words;
 
We give thanks for the bounty of the earth
and for the those who have labored to prepare and serve this evening’s banquet,
farmers and migrant workers,
truck drivers and distributors,
cooks, servers, and those who will clean up after us.
 
We are grateful for the opportunity to assemble here this evening
to celebrate our craft,
to hear our keynote speaker,
to honor award winners,
and to renew old friendships and make new acquaintances.
 
Bless this meal,
from our food and drink to our table conversations.
And let all those so moved say, Amen.


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Monday, June 6, 2022

Lectionary Ruminations 2.5 Links to Trinity Sunday through Christ the King/Reign of Christ (Year C)

 Trinity Sunday

2nd Sunday after Pentecost/Proper 7

3rd Sunday after Pentecost/Proper 8

4th Sunday after Pentecost/Proper 9

5th Sunday after Pentecost/Proper 10

6th Sunday after Pentecost/Proper 11

7th Sunday after Pentecost/Proper 12

8th Sunday after Pentecost/Proper 13

9th Sunday after Pentecost/Proper 14

10th Sunday after Pentecost/Proper 15

11th Sunday after Pentecost/Proper 16

12th Sunday after Pentecost/Proper 17

13th Sunday after Pentecost/Proper 18

14th Sunday after Pentecost/Proper 19

15th Sunday after Pentecost/Proper 20

16th Sunday after Pentecost/Proper 21

17th Sunday after Pentecost/Proper 22

18th Sunday after Pentecost/Proper 23

19th Sunday after Pentecost/Proper 24

20th Sunday after Pentecost/Proper 25

21st Sunday after Pentecost/Proper 26

22nd Sunday after Pentecost/Proper 27

23rd Sunday after Pentecost/Proper 28

Christ the King/Reign of Christ

ADDENDUM
I am a Minister Member of Upper Ohio Valley Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and am now serving as the Pastor of the Bethlehem United Presbyterian Church, Wheeling (Bethlehem), WV. Sunday Worship at Bethlehem begins at 10:45 AM. Some of my other blog posts have appeared on PRESBYTERIAN BLOGGERS and The Trek.
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Monday, May 30, 2022

15th Annual Wheeling Heritage Trail Bicycle Tour Opening Prayer

Clergy are sometimes asked to pray at non-religious community events. I composed and prayed this opening Prayer at the 15th Annual Wheeling Heritage Trail Bicycle Tour, Wheeling, WV,  May 30, 2022 

Great God, by whatever name we call upon you,
however we know you,
we thank you for the opportunity to cycle on our local rail trails, streets, and roads.
As we cycle this Memorial Day,
in the 15th Annual Wheeling Heritage Trail Bicycle Tour,
keep our rims true, our tires strong,
our chains lubed, our gears aligned,
and the wind always out our backs.
Keep us safe from accident or incident,
and without any of us suffering harm,
return us back here to Heritage Port later today
with 100 kilometers, 30 miles, 10 miles, or whatever
under our wheels.
As we cycle this Memorial Day holiday,
may we remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation,
and with their lives paid the price for our freedom,
including the freedom to gather here today
to cycle for fun, for exercise,
and to support local trails and the Ohio Valley Trail Partners.
And let all the cyclists and people say, Amen.

The Reverend Dr. John Edward Harris,
Pastor, Bethlehem United Presbyterian Church, 
Wheeling (Bethlehem), WV

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Wednesday, May 25, 2022

Reinterpreting the Second Amendment

 

The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution, part of the Bill of Rights, reads:

“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

The mass shooter who took the lives of so many in Uvalde, Texas, like most other mass shooters and other perpetrators of gun violence in the United States, was not part of any sort of well regulated Militia. Members of well regulated Militias generally do not kill innocent people, especially with military style guns designed primarily for use by well regulated Militias such as the United States Armed Forces, including the National Guard, and Law Enforcement.

I favor common sense gun safety legislation, including limiting sale and ownership of most guns, other than those used for hunting, to current members and retired and honorably discharged members of the United States Armed Forces and Law Enforcement agencies. Let anyone who wants to purchase a gun, other than a gun used primarily for hunting, present proof of service or former service in the Military or in Law Enforcement.

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Monday, February 28, 2022

Lectionary Ruminations 2.5 Links to 1st Sunday in Lent through Day of Pentecost (Year C)

 Lectionary Ruminations 2.5 is a further revision and refinement of my Lectionary Ruminations and Lectionary Ruminations 2.0.  Focusing on The Revised Common Lectionary Readings for the upcoming Sunday from New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible, Lectionary Ruminations 2.5 draws on over thirty years of pastoral experience.  Believing that the questions we ask are often more important than any answers we find, without over reliance on commentaries, I intend with sometimes pointed and sometimes snarky comments and Socratic like questions, to encourage reflection and rumination for readers preparing to lead a Bible study, draft liturgy, preach, or hear the Word. Reader comments are invited and encouraged.

1st Sunday in Lent - Year C

2nd Sunday in Lent - Year C

3rd Sunday in Lent - Year C

4th Sunday in Lent - Year C

5th Sunday in Lent - Year C

Palm/Passion Sunday - Year C

Resurrection of the Lord/Easter Day - Year C

2nd Sunday of Easter - Year C

3rd Sunday of Easter - Year C

4th Sunday of Easter - Year C

5th Sunday of Easter - Year C

6th Sunday of Easter - Year C

7th Sunday of Easter - Year C

Day of Pentecost - Year C


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Monday, November 22, 2021

 Lectionary Ruminations 2.5 Links to 1st Sunday of Advent through Transfiguration of the Lord (Year C)

Lectionary Ruminations 2.5 is a further revision and refinement of my Lectionary Ruminations and Lectionary Ruminations 2.0.  Focusing on The Revised Common Lectionary Readings for the upcoming Sunday from New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible, Lectionary Ruminations 2.5 draws on over thirty years of pastoral experience.  Believing that the questions we ask are often more important than any answers we find, without over reliance on commentaries, I intend with sometimes pointed and sometimes snarky comments and Socratic like questions, to encourage reflection and rumination for readers preparing to lead a Bible study, draft liturgy, preach, or hear the Word. Reader comments are invited and encouraged.

We will soon be celebrating the First Sunday of Advent, followed by Christmas – Year C, the year of Luke.  Here are links to the various Lectionary Ruminations 2.5 covering the period from the First Sunday of Advent through Transfiguration of the Lord.

Lectionary Ruminations 2.5 for the 1st Sunday of Advent (Year C)



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Wednesday, May 19, 2021

Lectionary Ruminations 2.5 Links to Trinity Sunday through Christ the King/Reign of Christ (Year B)

Lectionary Ruminations 2.5 is a further revision and refinement of my Lectionary Ruminations and Lectionary Ruminations 2.0.  Focusing on The Revised Common Lectionary Readings for the upcoming Sunday from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible, Lectionary Ruminations 2.5 draws on over thirty years of pastoral experience.  Believing that the questions we ask are often more important than any answers we find, without over reliance on commentaries, I intend with sometimes pointed and sometimes snarky comments and Socratic like questions, to encourage reflection and rumination for readers preparing to lead a Bible study, draft liturgy, preach, or hear the Word. Reader comments are invited and encouraged.



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Monday, February 8, 2021

Lectionary Ruminations 2.5 Links to 1st Sunday in Lent through Day of Pentecost (Year B)

Lectionary Ruminations 2.5 is a further revision and refinement of my Lectionary Ruminations and Lectionary Ruminations 2.0.  Focusing on The Revised Common Lectionary Readings for the upcoming Sunday from New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible, Lectionary Ruminations 2.5 draws on over thirty years of pastoral experience.  Believing that the questions we ask are often more important than any answers we find, without over reliance on commentaries, I intend with sometimes pointed and sometimes snarky comments and Socratic like questions, to encourage reflection and rumination for readers preparing to lead a Bible study, draft liturgy, preach, or hear the Word. Reader comments are invited and encouraged.















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Monday, January 11, 2021

A Prayer for National Unity During a Pandemic on Baptism of the Lord Sunday

 

Composed by the Reverend Dr. John Edward Harris © 2021
 
See Genesis 1:1-5 and Mark 1:4-11
 
God of creation,
you began your creating by separating,
separating light from darkness,
and separating the water under the expanse from the water above it,
and calling it good.
 
But we, your children,
especially your children in the United States of America,
are now also separated, too separated, and that separation is not good.
We pledge to be “One Nation under God,”
but we act like many nations.
We call ourselves “The United States of America,”
but we label ourselves as blue, and red, and purple states.
We aspire to be “out of many, one,”
but we are fractured, and we are hurting, and some of us are scared.
 
We have separated ourselves into fortified political camps we call
Republican, Democrat, and Independent.
Racism and a history of slavery and segregation
divides us between black and white.
Xenophobia splits us into an America of European heritage verses
Americans of Asian, Hispanic, and even Native American descent.
The growing inequality between rich and poor
divides us into the 1% of obscenely rich and the 99% of the rest of us.
 
God of the Incarnation,
you came among us as light and to show us the light,
as truth to show us the way, the truth, and the life,
and through your Apostle Paul
you called us to break down barriers,
and to live as one body with many parts.
 
Centuries after John the Baptizer proclaimed a baptism of repentance,
may we hear and answer his call,
remembering our own Baptism as just the beginning of a life of repentance.
 
May your Spirit once again sweep over the earth,
not to separate,
but to unite,
not to create,
but to re-create,
to lead us to our true selves,
created in the image of God.
 
During political uncertainty and deep soul searching,
we pray for both President Trump and President-Elect Biden.
We pray for a peaceful inauguration and transition of power on January 20th.
We pray for Democratic, Republican, and Independent Members of Congress,
and all federal, state, and local elected office holders,
that they will uphold their oaths to defend the constitution.
We give thanks for,
and pray for,
the Judicial branch of our Government,
and the Judges who defended not only the Constitution but the truth.
 
In the middle of a pandemic that is stretching our healthcare system to the breaking point,
and testing the stamina of health care workers,
we pray not only that vaccines can quickly be produced for all who want them,
but also swiftly distributed to all who want them,
so that we can put Covid-19 behind us and regain some semblance of normalcy sooner than later.
 
We pray this,
and numerous unspoken but heartfelt prayers,
in the name of Jesus Christ or risen Lord.
And let all the people say … Amen.
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Thursday, November 19, 2020

Lectionary Ruminations 2.5 Links to 1st Sunday of Advent through Transfiguration of the Lord (Year B)

Lectionary Ruminations 2.5 is a further revision and refinement of my Lectionary Ruminations and Lectionary Ruminations 2.0.  Focusing on The Revised Common Lectionary Readings for the upcoming Sunday from New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible, Lectionary Ruminations 2.5 draws on over thirty years of pastoral experience.  Believing that the questions we ask are often more important than any answers we find, without over reliance on commentaries, I intend with sometimes pointed and sometimes snarky comments and Socratic like questions, to encourage reflection and rumination for readers preparing to lead a Bible study, draft liturgy, preach, or hear the Word. Reader comments are invited and encouraged.

We will soon be celebrating the First Sunday of Advent, followed by Christmas – Year B, the year of Mark.  Here are links to the various Lectionary Ruminations 2.5 covering the period from the First Sunday of Advent through Transfiguration of the Lord.

Lectionary Ruminations 2.5 for 1st Sunday of Advent (Year B)

Lectionary Ruminations 2.5 for 2nd Sunday of Advent (Year B)

Lectionary Ruminations 2.5 for 3rd Sunday of Advent (Year B)

Lectionary Ruminations 2.5 for 4th Sunday of Advent (Year B)

Lectionary Ruminations 2.5 for 1st Sunday of Christmas (Year B)

Lectionary Ruminations 2.5 for 2nd Sunday of Christmas (Year B)

Lectionary Ruminations 2.5 for The Baptism of the Lord (Year B)

Lectionary Ruminations 2.5 for 2nd Sunday after Epiphany (Year B)

Lectionary Ruminations 2.5 for 3rd Sunday after Epiphany (Year B)

Lectionary Ruminations 2.5 for 4th Sunday after Epiphany (Year B)

Lectionary Ruminations 2.5 for 5th Sunday after Epiphany (Year B)

Lectionary Ruminations 2.5 for Transfiguration of the Lord (Year B)

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Monday, October 26, 2020

Lectionary Ruminations 2.5 for All Saints Day (Year A)

Lectionary Ruminations 2.5 is a further revision and refinement of my Lectionary Ruminations and Lectionary Ruminations 2.0.  Focusing on The Revised Common Lectionary Readings for the upcoming Sunday from New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible, Lectionary Ruminations 2.5 draws on over thirty years of pastoral experience.  Believing that the questions we ask are often more important than any answers we find, without over reliance on commentaries, I intend with sometimes pointed and sometimes snarky comments and Socratic like questions, to encourage reflection and rumination for readers preparing to lead a Bible study, draft liturgy, preach, or hear the Word. Reader comments are invited and encouraged.

REVELATION 7:9-17
17:9 After what?  How many is a great multitude?  Was anyone left out? Whose throne? Who or what is the Lamb? Why were they robed in white? Why were they holding palm branches?
17:10 What does it mean to proclaim hat salvation belongs to God and the the Lamb?
17:11 How many angels? We no angels missing? Who are the elders and how many were there? What or who are the four living creatures? What does it mean to fall on one's face and what does it symbolize?
17:12 How many attributes are ascribed to God? What does the number symbolize?
17:13 I wonder which elder. Maybe their name was Petros! Okay, where did they come from?
17:14 Why ask a question if you already know the answer? What is the great ordeal?  How can washing any clothing in blood make the clothing white?
17:15 I thought God did not need a temple. Were the elders constantly worshiping?
17:16 When did they hunger and thirst? When did the sun and scorching heat strike them?
17:17 How can the Lam be at the center of the throne if God is sitting on the throne? What is the water of life? Why and when were the elders crying?

PSALM 34:1-10, 22
34:1 Does "all times" mean all day and night? See Revelation 17:15. Is it possible to eat and drink while praising the Lord?
34:2 I sense a juxtaposition of boasting and humbleness. What was the Psalmist's soul boasting about? Who are the humble?
34:3 How can we exalt the Lord's name when we are not to pronounce the Lord's name?
34:4 What are your fear? What are you afraid of?
34:5 Do those who worship in the sanctuary where you worship look like they have radiant faces?
34:6 When has your soul cried? What troubles have you been saved from?
34:7 Which angel would this be? What does mean for an angel to encamp around someone?
34:8 How can we taste that the Lord is good? What does the Lord taste like?
34:9 What does it mean to fear the Lord. Are you familiar with Rudolph Otto's "mysterium tremendum et fascinans"   and concept of the numinous?
34:10 Who are the young lions? What does it mean to seek the Lord?
34:22 What does it mean to redeem a life? Who are the Lord's servants? WHat does it mean to take refuge in the Lord?

1 John 3:1-3
3:1 How do we see love? Are we just called the children of God or are we really the children of God? What does it mean to be a child of God. Whom is the writer calling children of God?
3:2 What were we before we were the children of God? Who will be revealed?
3:3 Is it hope that purifies? What does it mean to be pure?

MATTHEW 5:1-12
5:1 Why the plural crowds and not singular crowd? Why might have Jesus gone up the mountain? Would the disciples not come to him until after he sat?
5:2 What other ways are there to teach other than by speaking?
5:3 What are other ways to translate the Greek other than "Blessed?" Might "Happy" be an option? How do you pronounce "blessed?" What does it mean to be poor in spirit and who are they that are poor in spirit? Is it possible to be rich in spirit?
5:4 For what, do people mourn?
5:5 Who are the meek? How could they inherit the earth?
5:6 What does it mean to hunger and thirst for righteousness? What is righteousness?
5:7 What does it mean to be merciful?
5:8 What does it mean to be pure in heart?
5:9 What is a peacemaker and how does one make peace. Presbyterians in the PCUSA might wish to recall the 1980 report "Peacemaking: The Believer's Calling."
5:10 Who today are being persecuted for righteousness?
5:11 Have you ever been falsely reviled, persecuted, and/or been the object of evil talk because of Jesus? 
5:12 What prophets were persecuted?

ADDENDUM
I am a Minister Member of Upper Ohio Valley Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and am serving as the Pastor of the Bethlehem United Presbyterian Church, Wheeling, WV. Sunday Worship at Bethlehem begins at 10:45 AM. Here is Bethlehem United's Facebook address: https://www.facebook.com/Bethlehem-United-Presbyterian-Church-102482088303980
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Saturday, May 30, 2020

Lectionary Ruminations 2.5 Links to Trinity Sunday through Christ the King/Reign of Christ (Year A)

Lectionary Ruminations 2.5 is a further revision and refinement of my Lectionary Ruminations and Lectionary Ruminations 2.0.  Focusing on The Revised Common Lectionary Readings for the upcoming Sunday from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible, Lectionary Ruminations 2.5 draws on over thirty-five years of pastoral experience.  Believing that the questions we ask are often more important than any answers we find, without over reliance on commentaries, and with sometimes pointed and snarky comments and Socratic like questions, I attempt to encourage reflection and rumination for readers preparing to lead a Bible study, draft liturgy, preach, or hear the Word. Reader comments are invited and encouraged.


Trinity Sunday
https://summittoshore.blogspot.com/2017/05/lectionary-ruminations-25-for-trinity.html

11th Sunday in Ordinary Time/Proper 6
https://summittoshore.blogspot.com/2017/06/lectionary-ruminations-25-for-2nd.html

12th Sunday in Ordinary Time/Proper 7
https://summittoshore.blogspot.com/2017/06/lectionary-ruminations-25-for-3rd.html

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time/Proper 8
https://summittoshore.blogspot.com/2017/06/lectionary-ruminations-25-for-fourth.html

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time/Proper 9
https://summittoshore.blogspot.com/2017/07/lectionary-ruminations-25-for-5th.html

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time/Proper 10
https://summittoshore.blogspot.com/2017/07/lectionary-ruminations-25-for-6th.html

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time/Proper 11
https://summittoshore.blogspot.com/2017/07/lectionary-ruminations-25-for-7th.html

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time/Proper 12
https://summittoshore.blogspot.com/2017/07/lectionary-ruminations-25-for-17th.html

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time/Proper 13
https://summittoshore.blogspot.com/2017/07/lectionary-ruminations-25-for-18th.html

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time/Proper 14
https://summittoshore.blogspot.com/2017/07/lectionary-ruminations-25-for-19th.html

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time/Proper 15
https://summittoshore.blogspot.com/2017/08/lectionary-ruminations-25-for-20th.html

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time/Proper 16
https://summittoshore.blogspot.com/2017/08/lectionary-ruminations-25-for-21st.html

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time/Proper 17
https://summittoshore.blogspot.com/2017/08/lectionary-ruminations-25-for-22nd.html

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time/Proper 18
https://summittoshore.blogspot.com/2017/08/lectionary-ruminations-25-for-23rd.html

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time/Proper 19
https://summittoshore.blogspot.com/2017/08/lectionary-ruminations-25-for-24th.html

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time/Proper 20
https://summittoshore.blogspot.com/2017/09/lectionary-ruminations-25-for-25th.html

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time/Proper 21
https://summittoshore.blogspot.com/2017/09/lectionary-ruminations-25-for-26th.html

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time/Proper 22
https://summittoshore.blogspot.com/2017/09/lectionary-ruminations-25-for-27th.html

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time/Proper 23
https://summittoshore.blogspot.com/2017/10/lectionary-ruminations-25-for-28th.html

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time/Proper 24
https://summittoshore.blogspot.com/2017/10/lectionary-ruminations-25-for-29th.html

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time/Proper 25
https://summittoshore.blogspot.com/2017/10/lectionary-ruminations-25-for-30th.html

All Saints' Day
https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/3404372588940834898/8773471856559511453

http://summittoshore.blogspot.com/2017/10/lectionary-ruminations-25-for-32nd.html

http://summittoshore.blogspot.com/2017/11/lectionary-ruminations-25-for-33rd.html

Christ the King/Reign of Christ
https://summittoshore.blogspot.com/2017/11/lectionary-ruminations-25-for-christ.html



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Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Five Key Concepts of Ministry – My Cannon


I listened to Natalie Angier’s book The Canon: A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science on CD while driving to and from visiting family over the most recent Thanksgiving holiday. Early in the work, Angier asked something like “What would you identify as the five key concepts from your field? What is your field’s cannon?”

The question first forced me to think about what my field is. I hold a Master of Divinity degree, generally recognized as the basic requirement for ordained ministry in main line churches. I and many of my seminary alums would agree, however, that our seminary education prepared us more to be theologians, and even biblical scholars, than pastors engaged in parish ministry.

After over ten years of parish ministry I earned a Doctor of Ministry, generally recognized as the highest level of professional education relevant to pastoral ministry short of the more academic Ph.D. While some Doctor of Ministry programs focus on preaching, counseling, or spirituality, mine focused on Reformed Theology, perhaps the most academic of the various Doctor of Ministry programs offered by the seminary where I worked on and earned it. Working on that degree reinforced my self-identification as a theologian.

In addition to having served in both full time and part time pastoral ministry for over thirty years, during those part time years I also served six years as part time staff for a church regional governing body. I also taught as an Adjunct two semesters at a small Roman Catholic Liberal Arts College where I taught courses in Theology and ten semesters at a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) related Liberal Arts College where I taught courses in Religion and Philosophy.  My adjunct teaching experiences reinforced my self-understanding as a theologian.

This leaves me still pondering the question - what is my field? Is my field theology or ministry? I find it hard to separate one from the other. My theology informs my practice of ministry and my practice of ministry informs my theology in a cyclical dialectic. That is the perspective from which I answer Angier’s question about what I identify as the five key concepts from my field, or my field’s cannon.

The first key concept I think is essential to both theology and ministry and that I want worshipers in the pew as well as spiritual but not religious people and those who shun Christianity to know and understand is that the Bible is not one book dictated by God or written by a single author in one place at one time. The Bible is like a little library bound together. It is a collection of sixty-six writings (or more if you are a Roman Catholic) written by dozens of authors from various places and over nearly two thousand years whose original work was later edited by others and assembled together in one collection, a process that took centuries. These writings were assembled first by Jews and later adopted and added to by Christians because many found these writings to be theologically informative and spiritually meaningful.

Related to the above concept is understanding that The Bible was not originally written in the King James English, or any form of English. Most of the writings Christians consider the Old Testament were originally written in ancient Hebrew and  Aramaic and later translated into the ancient common Koine Greek. The Hebrew and Aramaic writings that were later translated into Greek were later translated into Latin. The Greek and Latin were eventually translated in English. That means that when we read the Bible in English that we are sometimes reading a translation of a translation of a translation.

A third key concept is the recognition that while there are certainly unique beliefs that separate Christians from Jews and from other people of faith, beliefs such as the affirmation that the mystery of God is best experienced, understood, and experienced as a Trinity, and that  Jesus is God in the flesh, Christianity is one of many world religions. As a religion or system of belief, Christianity shares many ideas and concepts with other world systems of belief or religions. Christians share with Jews and Moslems the core belief that there is only one God, and we believe in the same God, the God of Abraham and Sarah, although we have different understandings of what the God of Abraham and Sarah calls us to do and be. Some Christians have found affinity with Buddhism, although some would consider Buddhism more of a philosophy than a religion.

A fourth key concept is the interdisciplinary approach to ministry. Parish ministry is certainly informed by the Bible, but it is also informed by the history and tradition of theology and the church as well as the disciplines of philosophy, psychology, and sociology. The Apostle Paul often drew upon Greek philosophy in his writings. Augustine and other early Christian writers relied so heavily upon Plato that they can be said to have baptized Plato. Thomas Aquinas was influenced by Aristotle. Most parish pastors would probably agree that their counseling practice is as informed as much by Psychology as the Bible and Theology. Sociology has helped me understand the human dimensions of the Church and how congregations and even denominations have been influenced by the economic, educational, political, and racial ethnic background of their members.

Finally, even though Christians believe that the church is the body of Christ, that body often seems to be torn asunder by various expressions we call denominations. While some consider our plethora of denominations an affront, I think it is a gift. If we think of the church as the place we come to be spiritually fed and nurtured, then we might consider the universal church as a spiritual restaurant. I prefer Wendy’s, but when there is no Wendy’s around, I will satiate my appetite at McDonalds, Taco Bell, Arby’s, Chick-fil-A, or any other number of franchises or independent establishments. Even though I prefer Wendy’s, sometimes I tire of a single with fries and want to eat something else. It is all food. It is all nourishing. But I also trust that wherever I eat that the kitchen is observing sanitary practices and has passed its health inspection. Just like there are some eating establishments I would not eat in because of health inspection violations and unsanitary conditions, some congregations can be unhealthy and even dangerous. Stay away from them.  Find one that serves a varied menu of spiritually satisfying  and religiously healthy entrees.

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