Author Archives: Chaplainmike

Testing Scripture: A Scientist Explores the Bible- by John Polkinghorne, Chapter 4- Ambiguity

Testing Scripture: A Scientist Explores the Bible – by John Polkinghorne Chapter 4- Ambiguity The tapestry of life is not coloured in simple black and white, representing an unambiguous choice between the unequivocally bad and unequivocally good.  The ambiguity of human deeds and desires means that life includes many shades of grey.  What is trueContinue reading “Testing Scripture: A Scientist Explores the Bible- by John Polkinghorne, Chapter 4- Ambiguity”

Another Look: The Power of Stories

Stories are better than doctrine, at least in the way we have come to state doctrines. Over the course of my ministry, I have constantly fallen into the trap of thinking that being able to state a doctrine means that one has mastered its meaning. It’s great to be able to rattle off what weContinue reading “Another Look: The Power of Stories”

iMonk Classic: I Have My Doubts

Note from CM: Here is one of Michael’s all-time best posts, a classic example of why people loved and listened to him. He spoke as a human being to other human beings. Our Christian faith doesn’t permit us to skip the “human” part, though many of its practitioners advertise it in precisely those terms. InContinue reading “iMonk Classic: I Have My Doubts”

Epiphany II: God Revealed to Skeptics

Sermon: Epiphany II: God Revealed to Skeptics • John 1:43-51 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in theContinue reading “Epiphany II: God Revealed to Skeptics”

Saturday Brunch, January 13, 2018

Hello, Friends, and welcome the weekend? Ready for some brunch? The Golden Globes were last Sunday. Everybody’s talking about the big speech Oprah made — and a lot of people say she should run for president. But I don’t think President Oprah is going to  happen: Why would she choose a demotion? With a smallerContinue reading “Saturday Brunch, January 13, 2018”

iMonk Classic: Thoughts on Merton’s “Walnut Street Epiphany”

iMonk Classic: Thoughts on Merton’s “Walnut Street Epiphany” From a 2005 post by Michael Spencer “Yesterday, in Louisville, at the corner of 4th and Walnut, I was suddenly overwhelmed with the realization that I loved all these people, that they were mine and I theirs, that we could not be alien to one another evenContinue reading “iMonk Classic: Thoughts on Merton’s “Walnut Street Epiphany””

Testing Scripture: A Scientist Explores the Bible- by John Polkinghorne, Chapter 3- Creation and Fall

Testing Scripture: A Scientist Explores the Bible – by John Polkinghorne Chapter 3- Creation and Fall What is the genre of the opening chapters of Genesis?  What type of literature is it?  Even the most convinced young earth creationist admits that the Psalms are not to be taken “literally”; that figurative language and the languageContinue reading “Testing Scripture: A Scientist Explores the Bible- by John Polkinghorne, Chapter 3- Creation and Fall”

Another Look: Weddings and Being Too Easily Pleased

Weddings and Being Too Easily Pleased • John 2:1-11 I used to not like weddings very much. They seemed like a lot of trouble, and people tended to overdo them. When we had children at home and lots of things on our plate, it seems that weddings always interrupted other plans and caused upheaval inContinue reading “Another Look: Weddings and Being Too Easily Pleased”

Another Look: Living in God’s Story

Note from CM: For many in evangelical traditions, the celebration of a special season around Christmas leads into a long period before the next special season of the church around Holy Week and Easter. There is little appreciation for seasons such as Epiphany. In my opinion, this is a great loss, for it is inContinue reading “Another Look: Living in God’s Story”