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What's Tony Thinking
Sacrifice and The Crisis in Masculinity
March 20, 2025 — Here’s an unlikely conversation: one between Fleming Rutledge, preacher and biblical scholar, whose work I highlighted in my last post, and Ted Gioia, music critic and blogger, who publishes “The Honest Broker” on Substack. In that post I mentioned Fleming’s emphasis on “The Unpopularity of Sacrifice in Today’s Culture.” In contemporary culture there is, she... Read MoreThe Blood of Christ
March 17, 2025 — The second session of our Lenten webinar based on Fleming Rutledge’s book, The Crucifixion, didn’t happen last evening. A glitch. It happens. Apologies. The chapter on the agenda, and which will be again next Monday, March 24, was entitled “The Blood Sacrifice.” It is a terrific chapter, which covers a lot of important ground. What... Read MoreThe Time of Chaos
March 14, 2025 — How many times this week have I read or heard the words “uncertainty,” “chaos,” and “disruption”? Too many to count. In The Atlantic, journalist Jerusalem Demsas wrote an article titled “Trump UnLeashes Chaos Economy.” “What we have,” says Demsas, “is chaos. One U.S. uncertainty index of economic policy, which goes back to 1985, has been higher... Read MoreThe Joy Of It
March 11, 2025 — I know these are dark days. I am especially feeling the rupture, an entirely unnecessary one, of the U.S. relationship with Canada. I have done a lot of work with churches and seminaries in Canada. I have dear friends and colleagues there. Currently, I am working with the United Church of Canada on a project... Read MoreThe Other Side of the Coin
March 8, 2025 — On Thursday I wrote on the critical problem at the heart of Trumpism. Trump and MAGA propagate a distorted, alternate reality which rests on lies, half-truths and “bully lies.” A “bully lie,” (I can’t remember who gave us this apt description) is when the bully on the playground takes your hat and dances around with... Read MoreBut Not Through Me
March 6, 2025 — The great danger of Donald Trump is that he creates his own reality. He does this through lies, partial truths, distortions and appeals to people’s fears and hopes. “America will be rich again, America will be great again,” he purred on Tuesday. I listened to some of his talk to the Congress where all of... Read MoreAsh Wednesday and “Severance”
March 4, 2025 — Ash Wednesday, this year on March 5, marks the beginning of the 40 day season of Lent. I did not grow up with Ash Wednesday observance. I’m sure it seemed too Catholic, even “popish,” for my Congregational tribe. But I’ve come to value it. It marks the beginning of this season of the spirit, and... Read MoreWhen A Load-Bearing Wall Collapses
March 2, 2025 — As a preacher and a pundit I have long been making the case that the decline of the church, in particular the mainline churches, a.k.a. liberal Protestantism, is a big deal. It matters a lot, and not just to those institutions and the people who are part of them. It matters to our whole society.... Read MoreTesla Regret Syndrome
February 27, 2025 — Therapists in Seattle are reporting an alarming surge in a new psychological disorder which they are identifying as “Tesla Regret Syndrome.” “Yes,” said Dr. Ian Williams of the Lake Washington Clinic, “It started with one or two people a couple months ago, but in the last month we are seeing as many as twelve to... Read MoreNew Webinar for Lent Begins Today, March 10
During Lent our webinar with the Crackers and Grape Juice posse will be based on Fleming Rutledge’s magisterial book, The Crucifixion: Understanding the Death of Jesus Christ. It is a big book, but an extraordinary one as well. You are welcome to participate whether you do the reading or not.
Discussion will focus on the section of the book, Part II: “The Biblical Motifs.” Other studies speak of “models” for framing the meaning of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Fleming opts for the term “motifs” to suggest something more fluid and less compartmentalized than discrete “models.”
The first two, under discussion on March 10, are “The Passover” and “The Exodus.” How do these motifs shape the presentation and understanding of The Crucifixion? If you have had questions about the meaning of the crucifixion and various ways it has been interpreted, this webinar should be of interest.
You can read along if you have, or get, the book. If not you can simply listen in to the discussion. There will be a brief synopsis of each motif as it is presented and considered. You can enter your own thoughts and questions via the chat function. Use this link to join weekly. Each session will be recorded for listening at your convenience. Those are available through Jason Micheli’s site at Substack/ Sign up for that at Substack.