Bryan Berghoef's Blog, page 5
April 17, 2014
Another Holy Week
It is Holy Week. The week we recall Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. His final week with his disciples. His actions in the temple. His perplexing parables. His final meal. His agonizing last hours. The uncertainty of Saturday. The joy of Sunday morning.
It is a week of central significance to anyone claiming to be, or aspiring to be, a disciple of Jesus. One of my favorite weeks as a pastor. Also one of the busiest.
This year spring break for DC public schools coincided exactly with Holy Week. We...
It is a week of central significance to anyone claiming to be, or aspiring to be, a disciple of Jesus. One of my favorite weeks as a pastor. Also one of the busiest.
This year spring break for DC public schools coincided exactly with Holy Week. We...
April 11, 2014
A Palm Sunday Prayer for Peace
Holy Week begins this Sunday. It is a familiar week, beginning with Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. But maybe so familiar that we still aren't quite hearing the full story.
Marcus Borg reminds us that there was not one, but two processions entering Jerusalem that year. Two very different processions. "They proclaimed two very different and contrasting visions of how this world can and should be: the kingdom of God versus the kingdoms, the powers, of this world. The former is about justice and th...
Marcus Borg reminds us that there was not one, but two processions entering Jerusalem that year. Two very different processions. "They proclaimed two very different and contrasting visions of how this world can and should be: the kingdom of God versus the kingdoms, the powers, of this world. The former is about justice and th...
March 11, 2014
To See Beyond All Things
Enlightenment is the ability to see beyond all things we make God to find God. We make religion God and so fail to see godliness where religion is not, though goodness is clear and constant in the simplest of people, in the remotest of places. We make national honor God and fail to see the presence of God in other nations. We make personal security God and fail to see God in the bleak and barren dimensions of life. We make our own human color the color of God and fail to see God in the one wh...
March 7, 2014
The Whole Truth and Nothing But the Truth*
What is the more important: a) seeking and speaking the truth; or b) toeing the party line?
A revealing, but unsurprising post today from Fred Clark at Slacktivist about the challenge of working in an evangelical institutional setting. He shares an excerpt from Jonathan Dudley’s book Broken Words, where he’s describing his time at Calvin College:
In my freshman biology class, I sat riveted as the professor explained why scientists believe in evolution (I had never learned about the subject in...
A revealing, but unsurprising post today from Fred Clark at Slacktivist about the challenge of working in an evangelical institutional setting. He shares an excerpt from Jonathan Dudley’s book Broken Words, where he’s describing his time at Calvin College:
In my freshman biology class, I sat riveted as the professor explained why scientists believe in evolution (I had never learned about the subject in...
March 3, 2014
If You’re Going to Bring Them to Jesus, Then Bring Them to Jesus!
Lately I've been getting a little flack for downplaying the importance of evangelism. I wrote a post recently celebrating diversity of various kinds: ethnic diversity, linguistic diversity, cultural diversity, and yes -- religious diversity. But how could I celebrate this as a Christian, some have asked.
"Isn't your central goal as a Christian to convert others to Christianity?"
"Don't you decide to follow Jesus, then you help others to do the same?"
I disagree with the first question. We'll...
"Isn't your central goal as a Christian to convert others to Christianity?"
"Don't you decide to follow Jesus, then you help others to do the same?"
I disagree with the first question. We'll...
February 19, 2014
Your Brain on Beer vs. Coffee
Since I consume both of these beverages in large quantities, it was nice to see what I've gotten myself into! Thought I would share this essential knowledge with all of you. Enjoy.
The Good: Beer makes you less worried about the world around you, which frees up your brain to make deeper connections and come up with great ideas.
The caffeine from coffee kicks in after only 5 minutes, which gives you more energy and a stronger ability to focus.
The Bad: A couple of beers makes you less focused...
The Good: Beer makes you less worried about the world around you, which frees up your brain to make deeper connections and come up with great ideas.
The caffeine from coffee kicks in after only 5 minutes, which gives you more energy and a stronger ability to focus.
The Bad: A couple of beers makes you less focused...
February 13, 2014
Progressive Christianity
A few characteristics of Progressive Christianity:
* A spiritual vitality and expressiveness, including participatory, arts-infused, and lively worship as well as a variety of spiritual rituals and practices such as meditation.
* Intellectual integrity including a willingness to question.
* An affirmation of human diversity.
* An affirmation of the Christian faith with a simultaneous sincere respect for other faiths.
* Strong ecological concerns and commitments.
What do you think? What would...
* A spiritual vitality and expressiveness, including participatory, arts-infused, and lively worship as well as a variety of spiritual rituals and practices such as meditation.
* Intellectual integrity including a willingness to question.
* An affirmation of human diversity.
* An affirmation of the Christian faith with a simultaneous sincere respect for other faiths.
* Strong ecological concerns and commitments.
What do you think? What would...
February 4, 2014
We Need Each Other
The Coca-Cola Super Bowl ad which featured “America the Beautiful” sung in various languages has struck many as a beautiful display of the wide diversity of this nation. A nation which has always prided itself on being a melting pot, a place where people from anywhere on the globe have found a home.
Yet, unsurprisingly, some managed to find it inappropriate. One group responded on Facebook with this little gem: “Call us what you want, but my Ancestors came here and learned this beautiful lang...
Yet, unsurprisingly, some managed to find it inappropriate. One group responded on Facebook with this little gem: “Call us what you want, but my Ancestors came here and learned this beautiful lang...
January 29, 2014
Why I Am Unarmed
My neighbors were recently mugged at gunpoint not far from where I live in Washington, D.C. A nice evening out for dinner with another couple quickly went awry as two young men pulled a gun on them and demanded their wallets and phones. The four of them hit the ground and did as they were asked. After being accosted in this way, my friends felt rattled. Unsafe. Sad.
Some might say: “If only they’d been carrying a weapon of their own, they might have been able to turn the tables, or at least h...
Some might say: “If only they’d been carrying a weapon of their own, they might have been able to turn the tables, or at least h...
January 20, 2014
I Salute Humanity
"An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity."
—Martin Luther King, Jr.
Along those lines, I read this great piece from the spiritual teacher and mystic Anthony de Mello today. It seems a fitting thing to share today, a tribute to Dr. King's vision and work. He writes in his book Awareness: "For instance, I'm an Indian. Now, let's suppose that I'm a prisoner of war in Pakistan, and the...
—Martin Luther King, Jr.
Along those lines, I read this great piece from the spiritual teacher and mystic Anthony de Mello today. It seems a fitting thing to share today, a tribute to Dr. King's vision and work. He writes in his book Awareness: "For instance, I'm an Indian. Now, let's suppose that I'm a prisoner of war in Pakistan, and the...
