The most popular and feared book of the Bible, the Book of Revelation, suffers a thousand deaths every time someone gets this wrong. You can hear it at any coffee shop (at least in my town), church parking lot, or casual argument at work when a co-worker is trying to convince you of all theContinue reading “It’s called The Book of Revelation, not “Revelations””
Category Archives: Christianity
Ghosts in the New Testament? Looking for Phantoms in the Gospel of Mark
INTRO With a name like ParanormalChrist, perhaps some biblical discussion on the Paranormal is in order, if nothing but to quell and satiate our fetish for paranormal activity. As has been argued in other posts, Christianity is a paranormal faith. It’s a faith that not only embodies paranormal elements in the general sense of thatContinue reading “Ghosts in the New Testament? Looking for Phantoms in the Gospel of Mark”
Jesus and the Occupy Movement: Why the Political Left (& Right) needs the Church
As the single largest conference of the leftist and liberal political agendas gathered this Week at Pace University in NYC, I found myself wandering back through my own experience of this Conference and wanting to offer some ruminations not only on its seminal importance, but also its shortcomings as a movement. When I went toContinue reading “Jesus and the Occupy Movement: Why the Political Left (& Right) needs the Church”
Sermon Pentecost 2013: Fire From the Tomb
This is a sermon I preached this past Sunday in my local Church of the Nazarene setting. My tradition has a precarious and intimate relationship to this text, especially as it concerns ideas of the holy spirit, holiness and Christian experience. As I began to look more carefully exegetically at this passage, particularly within itsContinue reading “Sermon Pentecost 2013: Fire From the Tomb”
Easter Hope is Paranormal Hope that our Bodies Matter
ParanormalChrist’s genesis is the very ambiguous event that we call the Resurrection of Jesus. It is this singular event that has shaped the contours of faith, belief, hope and dared to challenge the norms of creation by declaring that the impossible has happened and it has happened definitively in Jesus. And this impossible event, thisContinue reading “Easter Hope is Paranormal Hope that our Bodies Matter”
Crucified God: Jesus wasn’t kidding, God really forsook him
“My father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me…” (Matthew 26.39) “And he took with him Peter, James and John, and began to be very distressed and troubled” (Mark 14.33) “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me…And being in agony he was passionately praying and his sweat became likeContinue reading “Crucified God: Jesus wasn’t kidding, God really forsook him”
The Pope is NOT the Anti-Christ: Tips for reading Revelation
Let’s get straight to the point: The Pope and his election has absolutely nothing to do with the end of the world. Further, this recent papal election has absolutely nothing to do with a pope that will become the ever allusive “antichrist.” If that’s how you read the book of Revelation, please close your Bibles…Continue reading “The Pope is NOT the Anti-Christ: Tips for reading Revelation”
Parables: Stories About the End of the World
The following is a sermon I preached in year B this past summer. In my ministerial context, sermons are generally 20-30 minutes. This one is on the 30 minute side due to the pedagogical material at the front of the sermon. I hope this helps you wrestle with this very short Markan parable as muchContinue reading “Parables: Stories About the End of the World”
The Christ Aporia: his last name is not Christ and he’s not your friend
Aporia…confusion is of the devil, but aporia is of the Father -this is the least one can say about a definition of the Christ, a symbol as rich as it is dense, as familiar as it is foreign. Or one can say it as John Milbank does in his seminal text, The Word Made Strange,Continue reading “The Christ Aporia: his last name is not Christ and he’s not your friend”
Who needs the death of Jesus? We have Facebook
The widespread use of twitter, tumblr, Facebook, etc, and the past success of the movie “Social Media” and the accolades it received across various Hollywood awards shows should have gained the attention of the church and thoughtful followers of Jesus. Yet, this is not the case. Normally, us self-professed Christian folk can dismiss the latestContinue reading “Who needs the death of Jesus? We have Facebook”
ParanormalChrist 