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:
THE ART OF IMPERFECTION: A MEDITATION ON MICHELANGELO’S LAST WORK
Pietas–works of art that portray typically Mary alone, holding the dead body of Jesus, are a form of devotional art. They pay homage to the suffering of Jesus and to the suffering of his mother. They are more than that. In the hands of the masters, they are an examination of the relationships between hope…
TRADITION
“Tradition!” Tevye, the milkman sings at the beginning of Fiddler on the Roof. It’s a great beginning, as Tevye walks us through his village and points out how things are done and why. Well, not why. Tevye mostly doesn’t know why they do things the way they do. It’s just what they have always done. Despite the song,…
CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM AND THE FAILURE OF PROTESTANTISM
“What keeps gnawing at me,” he writes, “is the question, what is Christianity, or who is Christ actually for us today?” (Letters and Papers from Prison, Kindle edition, page 353). Compared to what Bonhoeffer was going through in April of 1944, for those of living in the US or Canada these are easy times. True,…
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.
7 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
Finally, honest, thoughtful, and researched conversation about the Bible and those connected to it. Thank you!!!!