Christian Piatt's Blog, page 18
February 18, 2015
Christ Church PDX Loses Funding, Denomination for LGBTQ Advocacy
After nearly two decades serving within the denomination known as the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC), Rev. Adam Phillips and his new year-old new church start, Christ Church, Portland, found themselves without a denominational home, a facility to worship in and $90,000 of funding, promised to them by the ECC who charged them with the new [Read More...]
February 17, 2015
The Death of Jordan Baker and Why “All Lives Matter” Isn’t Enough
I was asked by Huffington Post Black Voices to write as part of their #28BlackLives series in honor in part of Black History Month. I’m honored to be a part of their larger, month-long conversation. On December 21 last year, Juventino Castro, an off-duty police officer, was doing routine patrols as a part-time security guard around [Read More...]
February 15, 2015
BHC21 LIVE EVENT!
A couple weeks ago, I was at the Christianity21 Conference in Phoenix, AZ (or C21)– a conference that brings together Christian voices to share 21 big ideas in 21 minutes each. Homebrewed Christianity organized a live podcast called BHC21 Live Event, bringing together TNT (Theology Nerd Throwdown) and Culture-Cast. It’s a lively podcast to say [Read More...]
February 14, 2015
The Gospel of Mark as a Manifesto of Political and Religious Defiance
I’m starting to think that Che Guevara and the Jesus of the Gospel according to Mark have an awful lot in common. I should explain, first, that I’m in the first month of My Jesus Project, a year-long effort to more deeply live into the life, teaching and example of Jesus through prayer, study and [Read More...]
February 12, 2015
We can’t allow Craig Hicks to be a scapegoat: Reflections about the Chapel Hill shooting
By now we are all aware that three Muslim students were shot dead in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. My friend and personal manager, Rev. Hollie E. Woodruff lives in Raleigh, a few miles east of Chapel Hill. I invite you to read Hollie’s reflections as we all try to make sense of this horrific event: [Read More...]
February 11, 2015
Is “Fifty Shades of Grey” a Step Backward for Feminism?
Anyone who has been paying attention to the popular culture buzz knows that the book, “Fifty Shades of Grey” was one of the biggest hits in erotic fiction in years. And now it’s coming to the silver screen on, of all days, Valentine’s Day. Of course, there’s the obvious voyeuristic intrigue of seeing good looking [Read More...]
February 10, 2015
Learning to Love the Crust Punks and Society’s “Other”
As part of my year-long quest to better, more fully and authentically follow the life and teachings of Jesus (a spiritual practice I’ve called My Jesus Project), I’m working this month with Christian Anarchist mentor Mark Van Steenwyk on exploring “Jesus the Radical.” The first task he gave me was simple, though not necessarily easy [Read More...]
February 9, 2015
The Zen of Beard Trimming: Stories of Punk Rock, Poverty, and the Search For Peace
C.J. Campbell is a fan of the Homebrewed Culture Cast and reached out to me a few weeks ago. Something about him caught my attention. He has an honest, unvarnished, swagger, only made even more compelling when I later learned he also lives with Cerebral Palsy. C.J. is a speaker, writer, and activist from Rockford, [Read More...]
February 7, 2015
WWCAD: What Would Christian Anarchists Do?
It’s a rainy, graciously lazy Saturday in Portland. A perfect time to dive into the Gospel of Mark and to cultivate my inner anarchist for the betterment of God’s Kingdom. This week, I got a list of possible tasks to take on during this month of My Jesus Project, in which I’m exploring “Jesus the [Read More...]
February 5, 2015
Jesus Wouldn’t Do Lists (But I do)
Anyone who knows me very well can tell you I’m pretty intense about things. When I start on a new book project, sometimes I will write six to ten hours a day until I’m done, my hands give out or my family claws and wails outside my office door. So of course, when I decided [Read More...]
