"I'm spiritual, but not religious...."

Christian Piatt, contributor to DisciplesWorld and music minister at Milagro Christian Church in Pueblo, Colorado, asks a great question in a recent column in the Pueblo (Colo.) Chieftain:

"If we could meet weekly with a group of people at the coffee shop, but who would never attend our church, would we invest the time?"

Piatt relates the story of Brian, a part-time new church pastor in Texas who works evenings in a coffee shop. Brian often has the opportunity to meet folks who describe themselves as "spiritual, but not religious."

While covering familiar ground in noting the gradual move of religion from the public sphere to the private, Piatt doesn't leave matters in the hands of non-church-goers. Instead, he asks the above question. And why not?

"We need to ask ourselves whether making connections with people is more important than our church membership," Piatt writes.

Read his column here.

Movies! the sequel...

Now, if you're a stay-in-on-Friday-night kind of person (like I am), rent "Click" (if you haven't already seen it). I'm an Adam Sandler fan but did not see this when it made the rounds in the theaters. If you've ever wished you could just "fast forward" through the tedious parts of your life...or if you've ever gone through life on 'autopilot'...or just wanted to his 'pause' when your boss (played here by David Hasselhof) is getting on your nerves, you'll like this one. If you're a preacher who uses film clips, you ought to be able to find lots to work with here. Plus, Henry Winkler (aka "The Fonz," who played the Coach in "the Waterboy") returns as Sandler's dad.

Movies! Part1

Anybody out there seen this Jesus Camp movie? I've heard about it and watched the trailer but haven't been able to see it yet. I'd love to hear from someone who has seen it!

The movie has apparently created consternation among conservative evanglical Christians, who accuse the documentary-makers of being a part of some 'liberal' agenda to make them look bad. Whatever. The woman who runs the Jesus Camp is apparently fine with the movie though - felt it was accurate, fair, not 'ambush journalism,' etc.

If you don't know about the movie, the official Web site is a good starting point.

Jim Wallis connects the dots on abortion issue

Usually, when abortion is discussed in political and religious circles, it is done as if there is no context. More accurately, it's in a false context: "life". No one is anti-life; and all sides know this. Yet we persist in allowing the abortion issue to be debated within this framework. Why can't we talk about ways to make it more viable for more women to have a child and be able to afford to raise the child?

If anyone can reframe the abortion conversation, it's Jim Wallis. Here, on his "God's Politics" blog, Wallis shares the story of a low-income mother who met him at one of his book signing events.

Of course, we will still have stories like this one, about the 10 year old girl in Puerto Rico who was raped by her stepfather and finds herself pregnant. I would argue that in cases like this, we still need safe, legal abortion as an option. Still, that doesn't mean that the 10 year old won't suffer emotional or physical problems if it is decided that the pregnancy can be terminated. There are so many other ways the church can be in ministry in situations like this, besides the roles it typically plays right now - excoriating abortion completely, or just ignoring the no-win situation for women (and unfortunately, girls) while defending the "right" to choose.