The Universal Anglican Church

2011-11-12T14:01:00.001-06:00

Congratulations to Joe and Cameo Lapera who were married last night!

2011-11-07T22:06:00.001-06:00

Seriously, what are we going to have to do to talk John Gruden into a big boy haircut?

2011-11-07T20:13:00.001-06:00

Tomorrow, after five months of trying, I am taking this piece of crap Android phone back and re-activating my blackberry.

2011-11-06T15:24:00.001-06:00

Thanks to all for a great Christ Enlight Gathering!

2011-11-05T16:40:00.001-05:00

Tori cut her foot through her boot on a broken bottle in the front yard and went to urgent care. Gotta love the hood.

2011-11-04T17:47:00.001-05:00

Let's agree that if you decide I called you but didn't leave a message you will sit completely still, not calling me, until you're over it.

2011-11-03T23:45:00.001-05:00

Erin & I saw Amy Grant & Michael W. Smith tonight at the Riverside Theater. Great show!

2011-11-02T19:21:00.001-05:00

The 2 funniest blogs I have ever written will appear Friday & Monday and they are about s-e-x so we'll all have to pretend we are adults.

2011-10-31T16:08:00.001-05:00

If you are living a drama filled life, can you see that you are responsible for that? Drama is the enemy of spiritual growth!

2011-10-30T19:27:00.001-05:00

The ultimate no win: Economic necessity, physical limitations, and the possibility of having to surrender a dream to resolve the issue

2011-10-26T16:20:00.001-05:00

Either there is a massive polo match nearby or women around here are conforming to the boot fashion trend a bit too slavishly.

2011-10-26T14:27:00.001-05:00

Barnes & Noble has Ken Wilber filed under "new age," yet more evidence how hopelessly out of touch they are.

2011-10-26T08:36:00.001-05:00

There's nothing quite like Neil Diamond and a good cup of Starbucks coffee in the morning!

2011-10-23T12:06:00.001-05:00

So...if your thoughts (as opposed to perception) create your reality, how exactly do you smash into a parked car will leaving church?

2011-10-22T10:48:00.001-05:00

At breakfast with TheRe. Jubi Dutcher!

2011-10-21T17:09:00.001-05:00

going to do a wedding rehearsal

2011-10-20T21:23:00.001-05:00

Being consumed with your own sinfulness and false modesty are signs of arrogance, not virtue.

2011-10-19T16:16:00.001-05:00

I know many people who could benefit from installing an externally activated mute button in the middle of their foreheads.

2011-10-18T21:17:00.001-05:00

Book your 2012 Milwaukee area wedding before January 1st to receive a special offer!

2011-10-18T11:10:00.001-05:00

Jazzed, energized, and inspired by the recently completed 7th General Assembly of the Universal Anglican Church!

2011-10-18T10:16:00.001-05:00

Technology is wonderful when it helps us become more efficient, but can become a quagmire of wasted time, too.

2011-10-18T09:52:00.001-05:00

Never surrender your power to anyone or anything!

2011-04-08T09:41:00.001-05:00

Threats of government shutdown appear every budget cycle & are nothing more than irresponsible politicians attempting to look like heroes for doing their jobs.

2011-04-06T14:05:00.001-05:00

Follow up with the spine surgeon

2011-04-01T09:59:00.001-05:00

Writing, writing, writing the book!

2011-03-28T22:48:00.001-05:00

Progressive social justice oriented spirituality, seriously undertaken, would seem inevitably to lead to first to inclusion and finally to spiritual pluralism.

2011-03-26T18:55:00.001-05:00

Having married them earlier today, now headed to the Justin & Jodi Zeitler wedding reception!

2011-03-11T17:32:00.001-06:00

Feeling stronger every day, even if sometimes by the end of the day I feel like I've been rode hard and put up wet.

2011-03-11T11:53:00.001-06:00

http://ping.fm/38H9z

2011-03-11T09:31:00.001-06:00

Anger expressed through rage is a sign of spiritual toxicity. No advanced spiritual being rages, nor does any legitimate teacher.

2011-03-07T17:13:00.001-06:00

When an alleged "spiritual teacher" flies into rages when his public statements are questioned, there is much darkness and the danger of abuse is high

2011-03-06T19:55:00.001-06:00

In the end, we must be *for* something. There will always be things we are against, but if all we have is what we oppose then our baskets are indeed empty.

2011-03-06T16:38:00.001-06:00

Check out the new Christ Enlight BlogTalk Radio programming, including a 15 minute Mid-Week Inspirational program Wednesdays at 10am. Get recharged on hump day!

2011-02-20T12:46:00.001-06:00

Spirituality is measured not by those things you avoid doing ("sins") but rather by how well you reach out to all people in loving kindness and compassion.

2011-02-18T12:01:00.001-06:00

Today I stand with the teachers, nurses, and all public employees of Wisconsin who are fighting for their rights. If you do too, change your status to this!

2011-02-15T22:15:00.001-06:00

Collecting mantles, vestments, and crowns of prophet, priest, and king cannot bring true legitimacy. True awakening is obscured neither by rags nor riches.

2011-02-15T15:11:00.001-06:00

Not surprisingly, Wisconsin's new Governor is seeking to take away public employees' right to organize. Thank you, Fuhrer Walker, at least you are consistent.

2011-02-13T13:29:00.001-06:00

Just figured out that for the last 3 days I have been under-dosing my pain meds. This explains much!

2011-02-12T13:04:00.001-06:00

Sitting at home as I recover, my biggest frustration is that my left hip won't let me get comfortable for very long - and it wasn't part of the surgery!

2011-02-09T16:06:00.001-06:00

I am going home tonight! Erin is packing my things and I will be sleeping in my own bed! Thank you Aurora St. Luke's Milwaukee, you were wonderful!

2011-02-08T12:52:00.001-06:00

10 years ago today: My 1st date with the love of my life, Erin!

2011-02-06T22:38:00.001-06:00

Back surgery tomorrow at 1pm CST. Prayers are appreciated!

2011-02-04T17:35:00.001-06:00

New surgery time: Monday at 1pm CST!

2011-01-31T11:53:00.001-06:00

A delightful blog from a dear friend of mine..check it out! http://ping.fm/l5IjI http://amplify.com/u/ao4ha

2011-01-30T11:54:00.001-06:00

Scripture Commentary Jan 30 2011, Our Weekly Scripture Commentary from Merton House Monastery, the home of Chr... http://amplify.com/u/ao0tj

2011-01-29T21:29:00.001-06:00

Why do people, when neither they nor their parents have ever had any church involvement (fine with me!) and don't know what Baptism is, call me to do a Baptism?

2011-01-29T14:57:00.001-06:00

Check out today's Christ Enlight show on BlogTalk Radio - "Who is this Jesus, anyway?" You'll be surprised at... http://amplify.com/u/anyvl

2011-01-28T16:13:00.001-06:00

The Bible tells us that God created us in its own image. I've often said that humanity has been returning the... http://amplify.com/u/anuw4

2011-01-27T21:57:00.001-06:00

It's critical, as our view of God grows beyond the theistic, embodied, white-haired, beard wearing, super-huma... http://amplify.com/u/ansyx

2011-01-27T14:14:00.001-06:00

Christ Enlight: Jesus the Hell Raiser http://amplify.com/u/ansi4

2011-01-26T13:50:00.001-06:00

The spiritual life is not about defending someone else's truth, it is about discovering your own truth and then living it.

2011-01-25T10:22:00.001-06:00

Going for labs

2011-01-18T10:38:00.001-06:00

It seem thats knowing that surgery is a few weeks off has impaired my ability to deny and block my back pain. Our minds are fascinating!

2011-01-14T09:51:00.001-06:00

Maybe the reason that Western culture has such fear of death is that Christianity has preached Dante's hell rather than admit Jesus never used the word hell.

2011-01-13T21:17:00.001-06:00

If Jesus sent a message to every church in the world saying that there was no hell & everybody was saved, how many churches would have nothing to talk about?

2011-01-13T09:42:00.001-06:00

An essential, but difficult, point of spiritual growth occurs when we look at what our tradition has taught and say, "I can't believe this part" with peace

2011-01-12T21:46:00.001-06:00

Word is, Brandie Lynn has a gas issue. I'm just saying...

2011-01-10T12:21:00.001-06:00

Ooooh...the weather outside is frightful...

2011-01-07T12:17:00.001-06:00

Style tip for aging white men: If you have to part your eyebrows to see out, go directly to the local landscaper and have those shrubs trimmed!

2011-01-07T10:01:00.001-06:00

A good meeting with the good people at Brew City Marketing this morning!

2011-01-04T08:20:00.001-06:00

Enjoying a cup of coffee and a book about John XXIII with my 2 month old grandson Greyson.

2011-01-01T16:07:00.001-06:00

Curious that the most anti-gay Churches (Catholic, SBC, MO & WI Lutherans) also prefer an all male, gladiator film loving, tastefully decorated clergy...

2010-12-27T15:54:00.001-06:00

Never live in a house where any room will comfortably hold more than 8 people. It will save you from cleaning up after your kids parties.

2010-12-27T10:30:00.001-06:00

I am in MN enjoying snow I didn't have to shovel & will return to WI tomorrow where you can see around corners. Feel for you blizzard peeps.

2010-12-26T15:02:00.001-06:00

At the Mall of America with the family.

2010-12-24T11:33:00.001-06:00

On our way to Minneapolis to spend Christmas with family! I am blessed indeed!

2010-12-21T11:53:00.001-06:00

That discogram was not fun at all, and the aftermath isn't any better

2010-12-19T17:47:00.001-06:00

Much of popular religion offers "certainty", which is a lie & a distortion of what life truly is: A voluntary adventure in the company of Divinity.

2010-12-17T13:04:00.001-06:00

Are we really so inarticulate, or so out of touch with emotions, that we must speak of our relationship with God in the language of romance?

2010-12-16T10:49:00.001-06:00

This must stop: http://ping.fm/U4oBP

2010-12-12T22:43:00.001-06:00

Erin is right. Tony Dungee IS Mr. Potato Head!

2010-12-10T13:38:00.001-06:00

Snow to be followed by cold. Bah Humbug!

2010-12-09T11:37:00.001-06:00

Finished at the back surgeon's office. Pending a discogram for verification, it's looking like surgery

2010-12-08T12:06:00.001-06:00

Conversations with God discussion continues tonight on Ustream! http://ping.fm/Tr13r

2010-12-03T20:41:00.001-06:00

After a month of travel, it's good to be home and finally rested!

2010-11-29T14:45:00.001-06:00

Is it just me, or does a man in a tam just scream "pretentious jack wagon?"

What Really Matters

2010-11-28T15:12:00.000-06:00

The recent election of Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York as the President of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops is very revealing in that it represents the growing affinity betweem fundamentalist Protestants and the Roman Catholic Church. I say that because Dolan's election represents a choice to continue to fight the "culture war" rather than follow the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures.

The culture war can be defined as seeing the role of the Church to be fighting against Abortion and Homosexuality to the exclusion of any other issue - biblical or not. It represents the complete abandonment of Christian morality and ethics; a complete abandonment of the over three thousand Bible verses concerning caring for the poor, the widowed, and the orphan; an abandonment of the teachings of the Prophets; an abandonment of God's preferential option for the poor: In short, an abandonment of a Christian worldview in favor of a populist pile of nonsense about which Jesus was absolutely silent. It represents the Roman Catholic Church standing lock step with fundamentalist Protestants, which constitutes the de facto abandonment of everything catholic by the Roman Catholic Church.

Why is this significant? It is extremely significant because it represents a desperate act by desperate men. Having abdicated its moral authority through the fruit of a perverse system of clerical celibacy that finally caused the Church to accumulate a critical mass of pedophile priests who not only acted out on their illness but were assisted in doing so by an equally twisted group of bishops and archbishops who engineered the largest world wide cover up in history. The masterminds of it all were Pope John Paul II and the man who currently occupies the See of Peter, Benedict XVI.

Almost any response would have been better than the one represented by the election of Dolan. The best response would have been to open the doors of the Vatican to allow the light of truth to shine through. While heads would have rolled, the Church would have reestablisher herself as a moral body. Instead they chose the worst possible response in that the cover up is on going. The Church, having decades ago lost the ability to speak with relevance to the developed world, has beaten a hasty retreat to the Southern Hemisphere - a place where what males say is truth is still truth, regardless of the facts involved. Birds of a feather do, in fact, flock together.

In throwing in their lot with a culture war that has been fought for years with no good result by Protestant fundamentalism, in many ways the Roman Catholic Church has withdraw from the battle for relevance in the developed world. While there may be temporary sanctuary in the Global South, the long term picture is that the Global South will continue to develop over the coming years and the Church - both in her Roman Catholic and Protestant fundamentalist forms - will find itself perched on the precipe of irrelevance once again in a few decades. The difference at that time will be that they will have nowhere else to turn.

All of this points out the truth that there is no point in trying to change these institutions from within. Not unlike trying to bail out a sinking ship with a thimble, no matter how much energy one expends the result is the same. Those who cousel such actions are members of the institution acting in a self serving manner in that they chose to perpetuate a lie in hope of gaining favor in the eyes of their superiors.

The alternative, of course, is to leave the institution in search of a new kind of organization. Unfortunately, many of the alternative "churches" are led by small minded autocrats who lack the ability construct any blueprint other than the failed one of institutional religion. In my role as Presiding Bishop of The Universal Anglican Church I run across stories of these little Napoleans all the time. They feature organizations that have not developed a theology of their own but instead reuse the theology of an existing church (usually the Roman Catholic Church) with one or two changes (ususally married, female, and/or gay clergy); do not adequately educate, prepare, or supervise clergy; clergy, including bishops, who do not keep their promises because they imagine they have some sort of special "privilege" by virtue of their ordination (nothing could be farther from the truth); and, most damning of all, entire "denominations" that do absolutely no ministry, save perhaps conducting worship services for their cats and the ashes of their dead mother in a corner of their basement. Such groups obviously do not constitute a viable alternative to the death rattle of the Institutional Church.

Are there any viable alternatives? Certainly, there are - the trick is finding them. Spiritual teachers and spiritual organizations, whether they define themselves as a denomination or other kind of network or fellowship, can be evaluated from the outside by looking at a few details. Some of them are obvious, such as clergy or teacher training, supervision, and availability, If you send an email, do you get a response? Does the organization's website identify who their clergy or teachers are and where they are located? If not, how can you be sure they really exist?

It's been said that you can evaluate a person by the friends they keep. You can do the same with an organization. Who are their friends, who are their partners in ministry, with what organizations do they work? Having friends isn't enough, those friends have to actually be doing active ministry and/or teaching as well. What's more, their friends should reflect a certain amount of diversity. It's easy to establish relationships with organizations that are mirror images of your own, but a healthy organization looks to devleop diverse relationships. Above all, the organizations you are investigating should be transparent. That is to say they should willingly answer your questions and be able to substantiate their claims. They should offer you the opportunity to speak with members as well as clergy or teachers. The final point should be obvious: everyone you speak or correspond with should be friendly. Arrogance is never a spiritual quality and should always raise a red flag.

I believe we live in the early days of the next Reformation of Christianity. Organizations that are looking to the future will be featuring new ideas, new methods, new structures, and will be absolutely consumer oriented. Gone are the days when a spiritual organization can hang a sign out in front of their building and expect people to show up "just because." Thankfully, we have come to a place where we realize that, while there are great benefits to leading a spiritual life, the details of our spiritual practice are up to us. Speaking just for myself, it's an exciting time to be a spiritual teacher!

2010-11-28T14:58:00.001-06:00

When will the Packers learn the Brandon Jackson is not an NFL running back?

2010-11-27T18:31:00.001-06:00

Wonderful celebration last night at the Consecration of Brian T. Butler as a Bishop! Laying low today with a cold.

2010-11-26T15:36:00.001-06:00

I am pleased to be the Chief Consecrator of Brian T. Butler to the Historic Episcopate tonight at Temple of Glory Trinitarian Church in West Allis, WI at 6:30pm

2010-11-25T11:34:00.001-06:00

A Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving to All!

2010-11-23T19:11:00.001-06:00

Home Sweet Home!

2010-11-23T11:17:00.001-06:00

On my way home from LaGuardia via Minneapolis/St. Paul!

2010-11-22T14:17:00.001-06:00

The Ordination of Mark Lodico as a Deacon begins in 15 minutes. Your prayers are welcome and appreciated!

2010-11-21T07:01:00.001-06:00

En route to NYC to ordain Mark Lodico a Deacon on Monday.

2010-11-18T09:45:00.001-06:00

In my experience, limitations, pain, and suffering can be spiritual assets in that they convince us that we are mortal.

2010-11-13T10:07:00.001-06:00

Co-workers in Michigan bought their winning lottery ticket in a porn shop. Wonder how they're going to explain that to their wives. "See, what had happened was"

2010-11-12T17:43:00.001-06:00

In Austin, TX for the weekend!

2010-11-12T10:57:00.001-06:00

On my way to the airport and Austin, TX to visit Bishop Elect Susan Gaines and the good people of Karori Contemplatives!

2010-11-08T14:32:00.001-06:00

In the Hartford airport travelling home from Bishop Selders' Anniversary. Thank you, +John & Pam for your hospitality, friendship, and love. I love you both!

2010-11-07T18:43:00.001-06:00

A wonderful anniversary celebration at Amistad UCC this evening! Spectacular sermon by a devastatingly handsome preacher, too. I wonder who that guy was...

2010-11-07T11:19:00.001-06:00

In Hartford, CT for the Anniversary Celebration of Bp. John Selders, Jr. and Amistad UCC today, Sunday Nov. 7 at 4pm EST.

2010-11-06T20:21:00.001-05:00

In Hartford, CT for the Anniversary Celebration of Bp. John Selders, Jr. and Amistad UCC tomorrow, Sunday Nov. 7 at 4pm EST. Clocks turn back 1 hr tonite

2010-11-05T09:44:00.001-05:00

Isn't it odd that religion is the one field of study that often tries to limit the amount of possibilities it will consider?

2010-11-02T20:34:00.001-05:00

How is it we have come to believe that infinity has gotten itself stuck in the pages of a book?

2010-10-31T11:26:00.001-05:00

I find it ironic to the point of bordering on absurdity that the infallible, inerrant scripture folks missed that idea isn't supported by scripture.

2010-10-29T09:59:00.001-05:00

Much of Christianity is breathing a death rattle because it has voluntarily rejected the divinity of humanity.

2010-10-28T18:12:00.001-05:00

In Green Bay for the Michael W. Smith concert, surrounded by social boobs...er, conservative Christians

2010-10-27T11:45:00.001-05:00

Recognizing the interconnectedness and interdependence of every living being is essential to world peace.

2010-10-21T21:01:00.001-05:00

If God is infinite and present everywhere, then we can never have an experience that isn't "of God"