Pastor Craig's ConSpiritu Blog

Yesterday I ran a list of questions, and posted a link with the questions on Facebook. I have had a long running dialogue with someone concerning the last question, “Does Christianity make sense, or is it just the hiding place of right-wing fascists who want to run everybody else’s lives?” My dialogue partner has raised very serious questions concerning the use of Christianity to justify heinous crimes, genocide and murder over the centuries. I actually concur with the concerns of my interlocutor. It is why I ask the question. He has serious doubts about the efficacy of belief in a divine figure when belief in that figure can be so easily misused and abused to justify despicable acts. Right now there is legislation appearing in every state that cuts education, imposes strict standards on what decisions women can make concerning their bodies, forces certain invasive procedures on all women seeking abortions. These are all sponsored by legislators parading their Christian credent

I begin this week’s blogspot ruminations toward a sermon with the following very serious questions: How should I live my life?   Is a meaningful life possible? In the midst of a world that thrives and runs on senselessness, filled with acts of random violence, hypocritical posturing, and gross injustice, is there any viable alternative? Is religion and spirituality related to any other aspect of my life? Did Jesus really mean what he said as a real possibility in life, or was he just an idealistic dreamer? If I pattern my life after Jesus, will it get me crucified as well? Does Christianity make sense, or is it just the hiding place of right-wing fascists who want to run everybody else’s lives? These questions arise for me as I struggle with presenting the Christian faith to a world that is increasingly characterized by violent antagonism between religions, the abuse of religion for political gain, the subjugation and political oppression of entire classes of people acc

co·her·ent     (k -hîr nt, -h r -) adj. 1.  Sticking together; cohering. 2.  Marked by an orderly, logical, and aesthetically consistent relation of parts:  a coherent essay. 3.  Physics  Of, relating to, or having waves with similar direction, amplitude, and phase that are capable of exhibiting interference. 4.  Of or relating to a system of units of measurement in which a small number of basic units are defined from which all others in the system are derived by multiplication or division only. 5.  Botany  Sticking to but not fused with a part or an organ of the same kind. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by  Houghton Mifflin Company . All rights reserved. coherent   [kəʊˈhɪərənt] adj 1.  capable of logical and consistent speech, thought, etc. 2.  logical; consistent and orderly 3.  cohering or sticking together 4.  (Physics /