Wednesday, July 13, 2005

4:23 PM Calvary is mentioned in a recent article about theological differences between two Oak Park Lutheran churches. Why bring us into the discussion since we’re not Lutheran?

The struggle is over the question: How do we figure out what God is like and what God expects of us? On the far left, liberal churches like Unity Unitarian tend to trust experience/reason/science more than any one particular scripture. On the far right, congregations like Calvary trust the revelation in the Bible more than empirical observation. The churches at the two ends of the continuum are not the ones facing divisions. Unitarians trust the American Psychological Association more than they do St. Paul when it comes to homosexuality, and members of Calvary base their opinions more on what is written in the first chapter of Romans than on what scientists have discovered about sexuality to date.

I take exception to the term “far right” since what we believe used to be the middle of the theological spectrum. We believe what Protestants always believed until recently when many churches decided the Bible wasn’t enough for them. We’re not the ones who moved. The author is certainly correct that we believe that what Paul wrote in Romans 1 settles the matter. 4:09 PM Today’s entry in the Crosswalk weblog is called Hot Coals—Part 1. 10:59 AM News and notes from our two local papers: To celebrate their 25th anniversary, the Wednesday Journal is holding a free village-wide block party this Sunday, 1-5 PM, in Scoville Park. The food and the fun are absolutely free. Treats include 1000 hot dogs from Tasty Dog and free cotton candy. I think this is a wonderful idea, especially the cotton candy. Here’s another good idea: bike and shop. Nola’s Cup, a brand-new restaurant on south Oak Park Avenue, features New Orleans-style cuisine. Marlene and I stopped by the other day and enjoyed some of the best gumbo I’ve ever had. Too many people make gumbo soupy, but at Nola’s Cup they make it thick, the way it ought to be. 10:58 AM 1206 miles.