Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, dangerous?

At the request of my good friend Eduardo, the dangerous book this week is the last in the Harry Potter series. No doubt the book is exciting and dangerous, but in a good way or a bad way? Does it incite evil or promote solid, life-giving values? Or is it just plain fun?

Read more and leave comments here.

Petty arguments cost more than just petty cash

The KC city council, just before the case went to trial, voted to settle a discrimination suit for just over half a million dollars. Funny thing is, it could have cost them $400,000 less, but they and the mayor just couldn't get along. What does our need to be right cost us?

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Dangerous Womanist book

This week's dangerous book, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston is a great womanist classic (though, ok, the word wasn't coined yet, and it is not, technically, a work of theology), one of those books that should have been on my high school reading list (and yours), but for some reason was left off. I personally would have voted for this book to replace The Last of the Mohicans. I mean, really. It was banned by some high schools when it was first published, which I think is always a good reason to read a book.

Read my full review here.

What exactly is a Center for Spiritual Living?

This week, I visited Kansas City's Center for Spiritual Living. I had heard rave reviews about the place, so was very curious. The word I would use to describe the service and the center overall is "celebration."

Read more here.

What would you do with the E.Coli in the lake?

There's a big controversy brewing over Missouri's Department of Natural Resource and their failure to release a report of unsafe levels of E. Coli in the Lake of the Ozarks. Why would they hold back such a report? And when do we do the same kind of thing?

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Why would anyone ban a children's book about penguins?

Because, it's a book about two boy penguins who love each other and together raise a baby penguin. Best of all, it's based on real events in the Central Park Zoo. I read it to my own daughter, and she loved it. It didn't bother her at all that two boy penguins would form a family.  Read more about "And Tango Makes Three" by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell here.

Hold the iconoclast, please

I experienced my first Orthodox worship service today at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church. Nobody warned me to wear shoes with comfort soles, so I'm still a little sore from all the standing, but otherwise it was a rich experience. The beauty of all the icons in the sanctuary alone was worth the visit. And the Greeks are a very hospitable people.

Read more... (when you follow this link, you can then click on "subscribe" to receive e-mail alerts when I post a new article)

Technology doesn't compare with you

We all marvel at the quick pace of the advance of technology. No one person can keep pace with all of it, and the complexity grows exponentially (or would it be fractally?) And yet, it occurs to me that we have only scratched the surface of the human psyche and soul. What would happen if we approached the inner workings of our being as seriously and with as much awe as approach the inner workings of our tech gadgets? 

Read more here.

Fun Summer Reading: Dangerous Book Series

This summer, and who knows, maybe even into the fall, I'll be reading and reviewing a book a week. I'm looking for books that would most likely not be recommended by the religious right, and finding several potential treasures on the banned book lists.

The first book in the series is Richard Bach's Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah. It's not been banned to my knowledge, but questions some traditional Christian doctrine and proposes some fascinating paradoxes, so is a fun read. I highly recommend it for anyone contemplating life or searching for something more.

You can read my full review here.

Lessons from Swami Chetanananda

So, for week two of my KC tour of houses of worship, I visited the Vedanta Society of Kansas City today. Vedanta is really a philosophy, not a religion, but they do hold meditation and worship most Sundays. So, I worshiped with them this morning and heard a teaching from their spiritual teacher, Swami Chetanananda. Read all about this unique experience at my examiner.com column.

New Place to Read My Writing

I'm writing for an online publication called The Examiner. You can access my articles here. 

Each week I'll highlight a house of worship in the Kansas City area (something other than mainline Protestant), review a book to challenge your mind and spirit, and take a fresh look at news and events and what lessons what wisdom we may glean from them.