Coffee Culture Kingdom Vox 2008-05-13T23:55:11Z Phil http://coffeeculturekingdom.vox.com/?_c=feed-atom tag:vox.com,2006:6p00d4141b72246a47/ Meditations on Jesus and our World Denominational Renewal tag:vox.com,2008-03-09:asset-6a00d4141b72246a4700e398e435dd0004 2008-05-13T23:51:04Z 2008-05-13T23:55:11Z Phil http://coffeeculturekingdom.vox.com/?_c=feed-atom

a jaguar

Reading here about a conversation that's started up about renewing denominations, I'm struck with my initial sense of apathy: is there any hope for real denominational life? We're taught by professional theologians that denominations are a "must...

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]]> A Walkscore Urbanity tag:vox.com,2008-05-13:asset-6a00d4141b72246a4700f48cf783010002 2008-05-13T05:17:56Z 2008-05-13T23:38:08Z Phil http://coffeeculturekingdom.vox.com/?_c=feed-atom Where I live, city officials and developers are pursuing something like a humane redevelopment of a rebirthed urban core. As a way to this goal, reviving a noble pedestrian existence has made the top of many lists. Such an existence is one in whic...

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]]> Defense of Suburbia tag:vox.com,2008-05-02:asset-6a00d4141b72246a4700e398f5df690005 2008-05-02T22:53:03Z 2008-05-02T22:53:03Z Phil http://coffeeculturekingdom.vox.com/?_c=feed-atom Amid all the hoopla extolling our new urbanism, one down-to-earth mom defends suburbia here.

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]]> Morning is Wiser tag:vox.com,2008-04-11:asset-6a00d4141b72246a4700e398ef1b2c0004 2008-05-01T16:36:12Z 2008-05-02T22:51:10Z Phil http://coffeeculturekingdom.vox.com/?_c=feed-atom

the frog princess

I love folklore. Lewis's conversion is spurred, I'm told, by a conversation with Tolkien in which the old mythmaker challenged Lewis's atheism/agnosticism with this idea: "Christianity is the One True Myth." This proverb makes all other myths bor...

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]]> Swan's Bones tag:vox.com,2008-04-11:asset-6a00d4141b72246a4700f48d0c41fb0001 2008-04-11T16:23:13Z 2008-04-11T16:54:30Z Phil http://coffeeculturekingdom.vox.com/?_c=feed-atom

a trumpeter swan

Speaking of death, I read a poem today by a friend, Mary Setliff, recently recognized by a local poetry festival, in which she potently describes cancer taking a friend. Her poem is called "The Bones of a Swan (for Will)." Reading it, I was remi...

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]]> Paying Taxes, and Death tag:vox.com,2008-04-07:asset-6a00d4141b72246a4700f48d0acab60001 2008-04-07T04:17:30Z 2008-04-07T04:26:45Z Phil http://coffeeculturekingdom.vox.com/?_c=feed-atom

Death and Taxes

I heard a fascinating line of poetry yesterday, quoted by Maya Angelou, who is celebrating her eightieth birthday. The poet she quoted was Edna St. Vincent Millay, who fancied, in this composition, "Conscientious Objector," that though she couldn...

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]]> Unconferences and Theological Debate tag:vox.com,2008-03-12:asset-6a00d4141b72246a4700e398e5341a0004 2008-04-06T16:01:03Z 2008-04-07T04:01:59Z Phil http://coffeeculturekingdom.vox.com/?_c=feed-atom Reading here today about the phenomenon of the "unconference" and how it is the in-person equivalent of Web 2.0, I was struck with the image of what must have been a lively interaction between "speaker" and "audience" at the ancient church council...

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]]> Jesus and the Movies tag:vox.com,2008-03-10:asset-6a00d4141b72246a4700f48ce2dfd90003 2008-04-03T14:30:17Z 2008-04-03T14:37:07Z Phil http://coffeeculturekingdom.vox.com/?_c=feed-atom Jason Clark has published last month a review of a book, Did Jesus go to the Theatre? by an author named Nick Page. I love the title, and am interested in the book. Here is a link to a presentation by Page.

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]]> The Little Things tag:vox.com,2008-04-01:asset-6a00d4141b72246a4700e398ebb3e20005 2008-04-01T01:15:18Z 2008-04-01T01:15:18Z Phil http://coffeeculturekingdom.vox.com/?_c=feed-atom

Frappuccino

While riding the bus to the airport this morning, I met a kind stranger who, after taking a deep draught of his starbucks iced vanilla frappuccino, said, with something of a breathless passion, "Oh thank you Lord." I smiled, looked at him, and ...

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]]> Arguing with Grandma tag:vox.com,2008-04-01:asset-6a00d4141b72246a4700f48cea11a00002 2008-04-01T01:06:26Z 2008-04-01T01:06:26Z Phil http://coffeeculturekingdom.vox.com/?_c=feed-atom

a clean front door...

It's hard to argue with Grandma. Of the many "wise sayings," she often told me, one came to mind the other day as I was helping a neighbor clean: "if everyone swept in front of his own front door, the whole world would be clean." Problem is, ...

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