Peripatetic Pastor
Reflections from Clay Libolt
Picture of Mt Baker
Dear readers, my posts are divided into five streams available in the menu at the tops and bottoms of the pages. The latest addition is a page from the “Theses on Denominational Life” posts. I also have pages from my Biblical Reflections (biblical studies of various sorts), Thoughts and Reflections (one off musings), Riffs on Genesis (studies of the Genesis materials), and the original posts in response to the report of a denominational study committee on human sexuality with which I began this blog. As always, the latest posts also appear on the home page. I hope in all of that you will find something that fits your fancy. Thanks for reading.
Clay
The latest posts:
A CAPACIOUS FAITH: THE GRACIOUS THEOLOGY OF GEORGE MACDONALD
THESES ON DENOMINATIONAL LIFE 9 In reading the gospels, what strikes one first is the capaciousness—the roominess—of the faith of Jesus. Where others draw lines, he does not. With those that others exclude, he sits down to dinner. When he meets a Samaritan woman at the well of Jacob, she, according to her contemporaries, belonging […]
CONFESSIONALISM: WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A CONFESSIONAL CHURCH. THESES ON DENOMINATIONALISM 8
Soooo, we—we Christian Reformed (CRC) types, that is—seem to be having a discussion about confessionalism: what it means to be a confessional church. As is often the case with conversations like this in churches of whatever kind, we are backing into it. The CRC Synod 2022 declared its interpretation of Question and Answer 108 (Q&A […]
HOLD THOSE GRAVAMINA: WHY FILING A GRAVAMEN MIGHT NOT BE THE RIGHT MOVE FOR THOSE WHO DISAGREE WITH SYNOD 2022
If Synod 2022 of the Christian Reformed Church (CRC) has done anything at all, it has popularized an obscure Latin-based word, “gravamen.” The word is used in the law to mean the weighty part of a complaint, from gravis, “heavy.” But that’s not how it is used in the CRC church order. In the CRC universe, […]
Introduction
I am a retired pastor living in the Pacific Northwest (and sometimes in Arizona). Actually, I’m intermittently retired. Since my retirement, I’ve served as interim pastor four times in three churches (one twice) and once as a high school principal. I have launched this website and the accompanying blog because I love the Bible and because I believe what’s best about the Bible is often lost in the theological welter of our age. I bring to this task and to this love not only seminary training (Calvin Theological Seminary) but a Ph.D. in Ancient Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Michigan. You may at first find my approach to the Bible different from the approach you were taught–more literary, more embedded in ancient culture–but press on. There is much to be gained and little to be lost by reading the Bible in this way.
6 responses to “HOME”
Just found your blog. I’m in.
Put me onl your list of people to receive your blog.
Daniel, at the bottom of the blog page, in the middle of a lovely picture of Fairhaven harbor, there’s a place to insert your email and sign up.
Clay
Thank you for sharing your reflection on Genesis 3. It helps me understand elements of the story that have always puzzled me in typical explanations from my tradition.
First time to read your blog. Found it on an FB post of a friend. Thank you for writing. Looking forward to reading more of your blogs. Keep well and God bless!
Good stuff and at a needful time