When I look at the ministry of Jesus, I see a lot of things that make me take notice. For instance, it’s always struck me how many of the institutional denominations wearing his name today don’t seem to really ‘get’ how he lived, who he reached out to and what he had to say to the religious of his day.

To say he lived a simple life would be an understatement. He was the one who said that foxes have holes and birds have nests, but not even the son of man had a place to lay his head. Comparatively speaking, if that statement didn’t put Jesus on the margins I’m not sure what would. He not only identified with the homeless, he was homeless. Continue reading…

It may not be the end of civilization (yet), but it seems we may have turned the corner on the end of civility… and so the latter cannot be a good sign for the former.

Behavioral scientists sometimes speak of different levels of human development and consciousness. For instance, ‘warrior’ consciousness expresses itself in terms of “the world is a jungle; eat or be eaten; express yourself and to hell with everybody else.” You have to admit those are not particularly admirable traits nor do they lead to admirable ways of interacting with others and the world at large. And yet, even though this level of consciousness is one of the lowest levels of all human interaction, suddenly it feels ubiquitous. Continue reading…