A Positively Poetic Priest

Many of you have heard of the 1800's theologian Soren Kierkegaard. He was a philosopher theologian in the country of Denmark where the designated national church, the Lutheran Church, was like many other national churches.  Everyone belonged and claimed it, but only a small percentage really went to church. Going to Church in Denmark at the time was seen as a social obligation and in many ways Kierkegaard criticized the church because  the national church attitude kept people from fully converting to be real followers of Jesus. Kierkegaard used to regularly walk the streets,  talking to strangers and neighbors alike arguing with whomever would start a conversation with him. One of his ideas was that you should be able to tell who is a Christian just by the way they walk down the street. Perhaps the idea that you could tell a Christian  by the way they walk down the street is a little extreme, but I can understand his thought pro...

In honor of Soren Kierkegaard's lesser feast tomorrow, I would like to share a recent poem about struggling with faith. Kierkegaard wrote a lot about struggling with faith and what faith is. He thought about faith as a passion. Sometimes metaphor is the most helpful way to go.  Faith Faith seems Like kind of a bitch You think you know her well And all of a sudden she's gone Leaving behind her bipolar sister Doubt, who requires constant tending Yet after all the hospice care All the tears and broken prayers When Faith waltzes back in It's like sun shining through the cracks Of six months of stormy clouds And of course, you welcome her back With open arms, not believing your luck Ready to throw the grandest of grand Celebrations in her honor Naturally, only after some time, Do you realize you're still pushing her sister Around in the wheelchair Everywhere you go Complain, yes you do, occasionally mightily But always when you curl up at night You're grateful she...