Inappropriate Conversations

Whether a happily married Christian should attend a Pride event with gay friends and allies?

Time as a concept is, once again, the stumbling block for many people -- including Christians -- on the relationship between sinfulness and the nature of evil and pain. An inadequate understanding of words like logos, chronos, and kairos doesn't help. The unwillingness of outspoken Christians to read the book of nature as reverently as the book of scripture is, perhaps, the biggest problem of all....

Perhaps on some level American politics has always had its share of game strategy. Maybe it's a myth that our so-called "founding fathers" set aside their own interests to form a new nation, and maybe all the key elements of the U.S. Constitution really just came from one influential leader trying to trick or embarrass a political enemy and that's the only way we actually have a freedom to assembl...

Whether a sense of patriotism invalidates the separation of church and state or similar founding principles in the United States of America? "O Master, Let Me Walk With Thee" (Washington Gladden, H. Percy Smith)

Strident Christian views about homosexuality have compromised any defense of infallibility, causing some to question the existence of God. Certainly there is justification for denying the validity of their anti-LGBTQ worldview. After all, in less than a decade “religious right” speakers presuming to represent Christianity have moved from there is no such thing as sexual orientation to homosexualit...

On June 22, 1633,  Galileo was sentenced by the Roman Inquisition for being "vehemently suspect of heresy." He had told the truth, that the earth revolved around the sun according to astronomical evidence, but he was forced to recant that truth. There is a great deal of scientific knowledge we either would not have today, or would have obtained in very different ways, if Galileo had chosen a diffe...

Whether sanctuary means the same thing today as the center of Christian worship has in the past?

Most music fans these days are very comfortable with just one song from an artist. I'm not. I tend to be a collector, almost an archivist. For that reason, I was very surprised at the number of "one song only" artists there are on my MP3 player, although I was not surprised at how deeply I love those lonely songs. Different Drummer: Joseph Haydn

"I'll remember you, though," the title character of Lilo & Stitch says to the other as the alien leaves her home, "I remember everyone that leaves." How is the question. How do we remember those who leave? I've turned that question toward myself and provided some possible answers with songs. Different Drummer: Joseph Henry Burnett

Whether the Holy Spirit deserves more recognition as God working in our lives?

Where did the box set of popular music come from anyway? Long before CDs or cassette tapes, the first version of this format came in vinyl. I can't recall seeing any example prior to a series put out by the marketing division of a watch company that doesn't rest. Different Drummer: Jack Stelzer The Longines Symphonette proudly presents Mexicali Brass

For me, celebrity encounters have almost always been chance encounters. I don't seek and collect autographs. I often forget to get pictures taken, even at reunions or meet-ups. It's not that I don't value those rare occasions to speak with someone who has been an inspiration, including a couple of Different Drummers. It's more understanding that "it's not about me" and it certainly isn't a matter...

Whether Easter Sunday is the most important day in the church calendar?

America's commitment to vaccination has been so great that nearly 2 million children committed to test a vaccine in the 1950s, so why would anyone walk away from the protection this has provided over any modern understanding of "safety" and risk? Most Americans look back at the Jim Crow era with a great deal of embarrassment, justifiably, so why would anyone want to establish a set of "Jesus Crow"...

Life tends to end either suddenly (too short) are through debilitation. There are exceptions, of course. Some deaths may not even qualify as tragic. It seems that debilitating illness has become more common as people live longer. The reminder this provides, though, is how crucial it is to not wait until a metaphorical tomorrow to say what needs to be said, create what our hearts long to create, st...

Whether drinking alcohol should be permitted as Christians celebrate, interact?

Determining the difference between Academy Award nominations for acting in a leading role versus a supporting role isn't always easy. It doesn't seem like a precise distinction can be made. Even within the range of supporting performances, there is a significant difference between the cameo and the roles typically occupied by character actors. At their best, though, even small contributions can ma...

I would have to confess that using terminology like "substantial beauty" refers to a perception that large female sexual characteristics are particularly attractive. At times, our society has veered widely between a bigger-is-better mentality and our current notion that anyone who isn't bordering on malnourished is "plus sized" or fat. Having a sexual interest in women includes a full range of siz...

Whether the church should have a point of view about sexuality?

For the era of album-oriented music (rock, jazz, etc.), understanding the history of a musical artist or group happened at a track-by-track level. Back then we bought albums rather than songs, and the way those tracks were laid out on either vinyl or plastic was part of the artistry. Different Drummer: Brian Eno Track By Track at InappropriateConversations.org

As a writer, I always knew that "dumping the notebook" would create a longer and less focused news story. The time and discipline it takes to match ideas and paraphrase would trade density for brevity, rather than the opposite. This look at how police work is conducted today and the impact that has on local, particularly minority, communities does the opposite. It's more sprawling and anything but...

Whether the prophets of old have been, or need to be, updated by contemporary prophecy?

It's both accurate and inaccurate to describe Boxing Day as a time to remember people who are in working class positions or struggling economically. When I was told that December 26th was the day set aside for sharing old and no-longer-wanted toys with others, that actually drifts a bit from the true Commonwealth history of the holiday. All the same, it is a nice and fitting idea. Different Drumme...

Most Americans probably perceive the "12 days of Christmas" to be intense retail shopping days before Christmas. The expression actually refers to the true period of Christmas celebration starting on the selected date of December 25th and counting from there. It makes me wonder why many people are so focused on pulling down decorations and silencing all holiday hymns right in the middle of those 1...

Whether serving at a food bank or soup kitchen is more worshipful than what we call church?