Author Archives: chappelltemple

The Donkey, The Elephant and The Lamb

Posted on November 4, 2016 by chappelltemple

It was Harvey Cox, a professor I studied with long ago in Boston, who said it most succinctly: “not to decide is to decide.” Sometimes, however, the choices don’t seem to be all that choice when it comes to elections. … Continue reading →

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Pursuing the Word

Posted on October 4, 2016 by chappelltemple

With spies, lies, and a shipwreck thrown in for good measure, his life was anything but dull. But then when you begin to criticize others for their rank ignorance of scripture, as well as for their decidedly unbiblical lifestyles, you … Continue reading →

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Authoritatively Speaking

Posted on September 19, 2016 by chappelltemple

It’s one of my favorite Greek words, in part just because it is kind of fun to say, especially if you put a good Texas drawl on the second syllable making it exousia!  (It practically “oozes” out of your lips, doesn’t … Continue reading →

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Let the Games Begin

Posted on August 7, 2016 by chappelltemple

Michael Phelps will no doubt garner much of the attention at Rio, given his rather amazing record in the last three cycles, though a kayaker capsizing because of a submerged sofa in the water may give him a run for … Continue reading →

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What Happened Out West

Posted on July 20, 2016 by chappelltemple

Just in case you don’t speak Methodist, the way we work is pretty simple: every four years both lay and clergy delegates cluster in one of five regional gatherings known as Jurisdictional Conferences for the principal purpose of electing new … Continue reading →

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Are We Moving Towards a “Mexit?”

Posted on June 25, 2016 by chappelltemple

It was pure happenstance that we arrived in the country just one day before it happened. When we woke up the day afterwards, however, it was to a different world indeed. For despite the pleas of many to “Stay Sane … Continue reading →

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Evil in Orlando

Posted on June 16, 2016 by chappelltemple

(Comments shared in a Service of Hope and Healing held at Christ Church on 15 September 2016) Some will say that it was but another terrorist attack, fueled by a fanatical understanding of a faith that divides all the world … Continue reading →

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Postscript to Portland

Posted on May 24, 2016 by chappelltemple

I’m almost afraid to admit it, but I think I came away from Portland if not quite “surprised by joy,” to quote C.S. Lewis, at least somewhat cautiously optimistic. For even amidst all of the anxiety and acrimony that a … Continue reading →

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Point of Disorder

Posted on May 19, 2016 by chappelltemple

Those who know me well will hopefully be able to tell you that I seldom get angry. For whenever I am confronted by rude or selfish behavior I try to check my reaction by simply stopping to remember that I … Continue reading →

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Through the Gorge

Posted on May 16, 2016 by chappelltemple

They say it was formed some forty to sixty million years ago, fashioned by volcanic lava that flowed through the area, then by glaciers–some 10,000 feet thick–that pushed down from the north.  What really shaped the area, though, were the … Continue reading →

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