About

Searching for a Sane Faith?

Are you looking for something different? Perhaps you’re tired of a faith that insults your intelligence and insists that if something is illogical you must keep the faith and believe it anyway. Maybe you can’t abide by a Christianity that condemns people to hell simply because they are different. Or you may have little patience with a faith that robs the Bible of its power and moves God away from here and now into some heavenly limbo far, far away. You may not be inspired by a faith that is limited to doing nice things for people. If any of these descriptions fit you, then this is the place for you!

I am exploring new paths as a disciple of Jesus Christ. Many of the theological perspectives and Biblical interpretations don’t seem to fit any longer. So I want to go boldly where I haven’t gone before. I don’t think such journey alone is that much fun, so I invite you and others to join me (you don’t have to be Christian to participate in the pilgrimage). I can’t say where we will end up, or what we will find along the way, but I think it will be fun and exciting. I hope you will join me.

Making a New Path

Robert Frost, in his poem “A Road Not Taken,” writes, “Two roads diverged in the woods and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” To me, the image of two diverging roads is a picture of Christianity today. The well-traveled path is a branch of the Christian Church that generally stresses Biblical inerrancy, creationism and personal salvation. “Believers” are more focused on making sure they get to heaven than they are on bringing justice, equality and peace to the world today. People who travel this path are often uncomfortable with science especially if it appears to contradict the Bible. They also tend to be intolerant of other faiths (Muslims, Buddhists) other Christians (mainly protestant, Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox) and other lifestyles (LGBT).

The second path, the one that is less traveled employs modern Biblical scholarship to interpret the Bible and doesn’t see science as a threat. The Bible is understood to be a collection of faith stories that are meant to enlighten, inspire, instruct, console and comfort. The focus is on the world now and in living out one’s faith by striving for justice, equality and peace and by serving others. Occasionally, illogical Biblical stories or Christian teachings are explained away or discarded. Though open to diversity, there are times when our similarities are stressed so much that the appreciation of what makes us different is lost.

To be honest, I am closer to the second pathway than I am the first. Still, I appreciate the stress placed upon the individual’s relationship with God on the well-worn path. I also appreciate the respect for the powerful Word of God that can transform lives. With this in mind, I think a new path needs to be created. It will be a path between the other two and prayerfully it will enable us to live out A Sane Faith.

Revealing Who I Am

I’m a husband, father, grandfather, brother, pastor, and disciple of Jesus Christ. Minneapolis, Minnesota is my hometown. I left Minneapolis in order to attend college (Concordia College) in Moorhead, Minnesota. It was at college where I met my wife Faye Ann, a gal from a small town in North Dakota and a farmer’s daughter. We were married my junior year. We’re still together after forty plus years.

I’m the father of two sons. One lives in Mesa, Arizona and the other one in Minneapolis, Minnesota. My Minneapolis son (and his wife) have blessed me with two wonderful granddaughters. Like all children around Lake Wobegon, they are above average.

After picking up a BA in Speech and History, I attended Luther Theological Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota where I earned an M.Div. I later earned a Doctorate (D.Min) in church growth from Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. I have served congregations in North Dakota, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Arizona. The congregations have been large and small, rural, urban, suburban, old and brand spanking new. As a pastor/developer, I started a congregation in East Dubuque, Illinois. I recently retired as pastor of Desert Streams Lutheran Church, a congregation I started in Surprise, Arizona. My active ministry spanned forty years.

My avocation is writing. I’ve written devotionals, Bible studies, magazine articles and five books. Of those five books, only one is still in print, Rural Evangelism: Catching the Vision  You can click here to get more information about this book. With the advent of eBooks and blogs, I think this is a natural path on which to continue my writing and spiritual journey.