Join us as we bless the backpacks and the children who carry them back to school this week. All are welcome to this annual kickoff to the school year! … [Read more...] about Blessing of the Backpacks
John Bell Weekend
Join the members and friends of First Congregational church as we welcome renown hymn writer and Christian leader John Bell to Houston. The two day event is a celebration of the 20th anniversary of FCC's own hymnal, Hymns of Truth and Light. Don't miss out on this special occasion! Register at www.fcc-houston.org/johnbell … [Read more...] about John Bell Weekend
FCC on Tap
Join us for our monthly night out. This month we will meet on Friday, August 16th. Stay tuned for location details. Our recent July event at Bistro le Cep was well attended and a culinary treat. It's a great opportunity to meet new people and socialize with church members. … [Read more...] about FCC on Tap
Animate Adult Christian Ed
Join us for this new Adult Christian education class as we explore the practices of the Christian faith and what they might look like for progressive Christians today. Every Sunday after worship. Class runs from May 12-June 23. … [Read more...] about Animate Adult Christian Ed
The Materialist Atheist Worldview, A Follow Up
Several posts ago, I wrote about the inherent limitations of a secular materialist worldview in relation to ethics and ethical reasoning. I was both surprised and encouraged by the many insightful responses I received and I wanted to follow up on that discussion. I claimed that a secular materialist who wants to create a de-ontological system of ethics must rely on the claims of science for ethical norms. If you want to create a reasoned system of right and wrong without God, there are no … [Read more...] about The Materialist Atheist Worldview, A Follow Up
The Materialist Atheist Worldview
In recent years we have witnessed the surge of the so-called New Atheists. Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, the late Christopher Hitchens, and a host of others have attacked Christianity and other belief systems. In the place of belief in a god, these writers view the world in strictly materialist terms; life is a series of physical and chemical interactions and no more. Science, and especially neuro-science and evolutionary biology, can provide the answers we need to life’s great questions of … [Read more...] about The Materialist Atheist Worldview
Gay Sexual Ethics, Part II
In a previous article I wrote about a shocker: Christians have a problem with sexual desire. I know that caught you off guard, but it was meant to surprise “traditional” Christians even more. There is the persistent and false assumption that the historical Christian ideal praises sexual desire within marriage. Not true for the early church. Not even true for Martin Luther, father of six children and passionate defender of marriage. Luther wrote, “Intercourse is never without Sin; but God excuses … [Read more...] about Gay Sexual Ethics, Part II
Gay Sexual Ethics, Part I
The line for the bar stretched down the block. Usually, I am not one for long lines at bars, but this was my first Guerrilla Queer Bar in Boston and everyone in the line was gay. The concept is simple. You put together a Facebook group and then once per month send out a message that the gays are taking over a straight bar for the night. In Boston, it worked surprisingly well. Standing next to me in line was a drag queen, or more accurately a drag nun. She wore a black habit with a nun’s hat … [Read more...] about Gay Sexual Ethics, Part I