This is the main information site for a class for adult members and friends of the First Presbyterian Church of Sarasota, Florida on animals in God’s plan. The class asked fundamental questions such as, Why did God create animals in the first place?What did God intended for them?What is the destiny of the animals?Are animals …
This post is a collection of pithy sayings found in Maya Angelou’s Letter to My Daughter
The graphics in this post were painted by the authorI read Senator Raphael Warnock’s book, The Divided Mind of the Black Church as one of 11 books to be read this year by the Manasota Interracial Book Club, of which I am a member. Divided Mind is basically a good book and I got a …
This post is a basic introduction to the relatively new idea of deep incarnation. Deep Incarnation is a refreshing new way to understand how Jesus’ life and suffering brings divine renewal not only for individual people, but for animals and indeed the entire cosmos.
It would be misleading to say that Deep Incarnation is a new idea. It’s true that Niels Gregersen, a Danish theologian coined the term in 2001. But the ideas that underlie Deep Incarnation have long been a minor theme in the Church’s thinking throughout its history. The New Testament is sprinkled with the ideas of …
Students who read Ghost Boys will already be conditioned by overheated media that either paints police as demons or Black men as criminals. They will have seen video of police shooting unarmed Black children who are age peers. What Jewell Parker Rhodes describes in her book is hardly new for kids. Students will have heard extreme opinions from family and friends. To read Ghost Boys and hopefully to discuss with classmates, holds much promise to be a retreat from the propaganda saturated social media and lurid images and opinions.
Richard Rothstein’s The Color of Law has convinced me that the segregated character of American cities is the government’s fault. Of course, individual racism has had a role. Back in the 1970s, a small-minded neighbor of mine tried to rally friends to purchase a house on his street in order to prevent immigrants from moving …
This post reflects on the question whether America has really made significant progress in racial justice. It uses Carol Anderson’s book, White Rage. It also includes three infographics which illustrate forces that have pushed back against the progress and empowerment of African Americans.
I had the pleasure, a few days ago, of being one of the minister-coaches for confirmation students who were writing personal statements of faith. This particular confirmation class consisted mostly of senior high students. They were moving towards church membership at the First Presbyterian Church in Sarasota, Florida. My task as a coach was to …
