COFFEE BREAK 152

+ updated at 5:30pm EST, Thursday, March 4, 2010

+ The Four Precepts offers "Preferences and the Presence of God" by Wayne Ferguson.  Excerpt: "Most of the time, it seems, we are tempted away from God's presence by inordinate desires of one kind or another. And all too often, such desires are rooted in feelings of fear and insecurity. As an elderly Christian lady once remarked to me, somewhat ironically, 'I guess it's easier to worry than to trust!'"

The article offers links to wonderful wisdom by Brother Lawrence and by Hazrat Inayat Khan.

+ Shuck and Jive offers "Sometimes You Gotta Take a Risk" by John Shuck.  It begins: I salute my colleagues at Dumbarton UMC in Washington. Here is the story:

A United Methodist congregation in Washington, D.C., has vowed to celebrate same-sex weddings, putting itself at odds with other Christian churches protesting the District of Columbia 's new marriage equality law.

The pastor and 12 other ordained clergy who attend Dumbarton United Methodist Church in Georgetown said they would conduct such ceremonies after Congress failed to override D.C.'s new law on March 3. The larger United Methodist Church does not permit same-sex weddings, and no other Methodist congregation in Washington has taken the same step.

In my seminary days, I served on the staff of Old West Methodist Church in Boston. In 1973, the Pastor, Bill Alberts, officiated at the wedding of 2 gay men. He did not last long in the United Methodist Church. But that was 37 years ago. I suspect that the clergy of Dumbarton will not be cast out like Bill Alberts was.

+ Ecumenical News International offers "Washington Cathedral hosts Christian-Muslim summit" by Chris Herlinger.

Excerpt 1: On its Web site, Washington Cathedral says, "As the global community continues to divide along the lines of faith and culture, Washington National Cathedral feels increasingly called to play an important role in relations between Christians and Muslims around the world, and is uniquely positioned as a convening authority to facilitate such a dialogue."

Excerpt 2: Still, the Washington-based Institute on Religion and Democracy, which is often critical of "liberal" stands taken by ecumenical institutions, said that the summit had the potential for leading to "appeasement to Islamists".

Sadly, most of the ENI article focuses on the IRD criticism.