Finding Jesus At A.A.

Michael Spencer June 16th, 2008

I’m finishing Susan Cheever’s biography of Alcoholics Anonymous co-founder Bill Wilson, My Name Is Bill. For those who enjoy distinctively American biography and the intersection between spirituality and cultural history, Cheever’s book is outstanding and interesting.

It’s also a great prompt for those who are living through a “church crisis” and feeling spiritually homeless.

That would be me in the middle of that crisis, and best I can tell from my email, thousands and thousands of … (Read More)

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Homosexuals & Evangelicals - The Internet Monk on SBE

Erik May 9th, 2008

The Internet Monk, Michael Spencer, joins us on Steve Brown Etc. this week to talk about gays, lesbians and evangelicals. Use one of the options below to listen.

When homosexuals listen to evangelicals, what do they hear? One friend of mine suggested that we sound like the teacher from the Peanuts cartoons, "Wa wah wa. Wah wa wa wah." But much of the time, our words are far more caustic. Join us as we discuss the subject in the context of Michael's insightful and controversi … (Read More)

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Jesus Watches Your Church Ad

Michael Spencer May 5th, 2008

Ever have a mystical experience? Mystical experiences aren’t exactly my strong point, but the Spirit has managed to get a few past my defenses over the years.

Once I was staying in the hospital with my mom. Mom was 82 and had just had a serious stroke. I stayed in the room with her for a week because she was really a mess, and as far as family went, I was it.

It was in the early hours of the morning, and mom had been awake, fighting the nurses, talking out of her head and refusing to sleep or … (Read More)

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Finding the Good Stuff: Discovering The Christian Year

Michael Spencer March 17th, 2008

I grew up in the 1960's in a small city in Western Kentucky among fundamentalist Baptists who were sure their kind were the only Christians on the planet. My ignorance of the broader Christian world was too abysmal to be described with normal adjectives.

When I became aware of other kinds of Christians- around 1972- I was frightened of them. Methodists actually scared me. My best friend was an Episcopalian. He came to my church all the time. I would have sooner asked for a root canal than g … (Read More)

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