The "economy" of God's grace refers to the whole counsel of God in the plan, purpose, and fulfillment of salvation as well as the whole of the Church, as a part of that same economic-grace, beyond the terminology of "universal"--meaning the one body of Christ, the fellowship of believers bonded in one faith, one Lord, one baptism.  I want to welcome and engage with Christians who seek ever greater and more visible "signs" of the unity shared in Christ Jesus.  I welcome brothers and sisters in the Lord who desire constructive conversation and dialogue, rather than vituperate debate over those issues or concerns that are of secondary importance in the pursuit of more faithful forms of visible unity.

So much of our contemporary culture leaves little or no room for exploration and common and constructive dialogue concerning the basic biblical and theological convictions or doctrines of the Christian faith and the relevance such beliefs and doctrines have for the issues we face each and every day.  I have come from a varigated spiritual journey, shaped in my childhood by the Roman Catholic tradition--as rich as it is complex--and returning to the Christian faith through a conversion experience following an extended period of disinterest in all manner of things religious in general and Christian in particular.  My arrival in and commitment to my present denominational family came only late in early adulthood; a move I have never regretted, even though I continue to have a "lover's quarrel" with much that is done at the national level of our denomination.  While my theological position tends toward, what is now commonly called "conservative," I define myself more as an "evangelical-ecumenical" with a profound appreciation for diversity in the Christian faith, whether Western or Eastern in origin and orientation, and a desire to deepen my knowledge of and appreciation for both bodies of Christian tradition.

I have been in pastoral ministry since ordaination in 1981 in the United Church of Christ.  Formally Roman Catholic, I left the Catholic church at the age of twenty-one and spent a good portion of my young adulthood alienated from any form of Christian faith or community, until 1976 when I experienced a conversion and renewed call to the pastoral ministry.  Having completed my first degree at Moravian College in Bethlehem, PA, I attended Princeton Theological Serminary from which I received the degree of Master of Divinity.  My first call to pastoral office was in Schuylkill County, in the Pennsylvania Southeast Conference of the UCC, and I have served churches in this same Conference for the whole of my career to date.  In the desire to expand my pastoral skills I have also received a Master of Sacred Theology degree from Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, a Master of Pastoral Counseling degree from Moravian Theological Seminary in Bethlehem, PA, and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary (in Reformed Theology, with focus on ecumenicity).

This website is provided for those who wish to engage in dialogue with a pastor who cares very much for the questions others have regarding the contemporary relevance of the Christian tradition (which is anything but univocal!) and who are struggling with their own sense of spirituality or considering the Christian faith as a viable community in which to explore and express faith convictions.

In his Explorations in Theology (Vol. II: Spouse of the Word), Hans Urs von Balthasar writes: ...what is needed is an understanding of every particular mission in the Church as proceeding from the whole Church and destined for the growth and deepening of the life of the whole Church.  This uderstanding can come about in the individual only from a love for the whole Church imparted by the Spirit of unity.  This is the conviction behind and beneath the purpose for which I offer this website, its articles, and its sermons, in the prayerful hope that there are others who have a love for the whole Chruch imparted by the Spirit of unity, and that such will welcome the opportunity to exchange in an environment of mutual respect, trust, and the desire to deepen--as we re given grace--the visible unity of Christ's Church.

 

This website represents, for me, a new venture in open communication; I haven't made it my practice to explore other websites of a similar kind.  I would hope that those who do connect to this site would forgive my inexperience with this medium and permit me time to "get my feet wet" in the process of engaging those who "blog" in a timely manner and updating the site as seems prudent or necessary.  What excites me most about this venue of communication is the opportunities it can afford for reaching across geographic, as well as cultural and societal, boundaries and coming into conversation with those who are interested in sharing their own questions, struggles, and joys as followers of Christ or as coming from a religious tradition other than Christian.

The contemporary "tags" of our being in either a "post-modern" or even "post-Christian" era have value insofar as they describe the general environment in which open and constructive dialogue can take place; the also serve as representative of a particular attitude said to be prevalent among contemporaries.  Whatever your worldview, I welcome you to dialogue and hope that we can do so respectfully and with an open and engaged mind. 

Only recently I read that someone referred to Pope Bendict XVI as a conservative who welcomes the stimulation of intellectual engagement and dialogue, and from all of his published work that I have read to date (including his essays that were fundamental in shaping the theological directions of Vatican II), he is truly remarkable in his capacity to engage in creative dialogue while at the same time maintaining a healthy connection to the vital and vibrant traditions that have guided and nurtured the Church for some two millennia.  If one will allow, I seek the same from those who come to join me in this dialogue; I make no claim to rejoice in the current favor provided "relativism" and  "pluralism," when such terms are used to dinimish all dialogue to the lowest common denominator!  But I believe there is a vast richness in the Christian tradition which, when properly presented and respected, provides a superb venue for critical and creative engagement and dialogue along many fronts.