Liberal values should not be taken for granted. It was relatively recently that people first conceived of them, yearned for them, and began to believe they should be the basis … Continue reading Enlighten Up! A History of Reason, Freedom, and Tolerance

I have loved puppets all my life and they still hold the same magic for me as when I was a child. Along with the magic comes wonder: wonder about … Continue reading Puppets & People: What’s the Difference?

Drug addict. Mentally ill. Criminal. These are some of the stereotypes often associated with those who are homeless. While they may be true of some, they have never been true … Continue reading Unaffordable Housing & the Homeless: What Does the Data Say?

Upon recently reading Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth, Harvard theoretical physicist Avi Loeb’s 2021 book, I began thinking about some of the things humans know that … Continue reading Understanding Aliens: What We Share in Common with Intelligent Beings Everywhere

This is a sermon I usually give in July, at the start of a new church year, but had forgotten about until now. So, I’ll take this opportunity to reflect … Continue reading Preaching to the Preacher: My Personal Responses to Some of Last Year’s Sermons

I had intended to give this sermon a few years ago, when I was being pressured to stop talking about my concerns regarding our liberal religion. I didn’t because another … Continue reading “My Pulpit, Mine”

In this sermon I’ll reflect a bit about my own theological journey, including how I came to call myself an atheist and what the term means to me.

During his final service with us before his unexpected death, church member Owen Muir asked me, “Instead of answering our questions, what question would you like to ask us?” It … Continue reading Why Are You Here?

In the science fiction film, Ready Player One, the creator of a virtual world says, “Reality is the only thing that’s real.” It makes good sense, but philosophy, which has … Continue reading “Reality is the Only Thing that’s Real.” Or is it?

Aikido best translates, “The Way of Harmony.” Although it is widely considered a martial art, Aikido is a philosophy of life that can be put into practice by anyone. In … Continue reading The Way of Harmony: Practicing Aikido in Everyday Life