February 2010
2 posts
A New Model for Discipleship
What would a new model for discipleship look like? Well, a new model would of course be faithful to the oldest model - that utilized by Jesus and his disciples. Here are some elements of a new/old model for discipleship that migh be helpful for us in the old-line church to consider: 1. Discipleship is about forging relationships. A “disciple” is a student, which suggests that...
Figuring out discipleship
Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” - Luke 5: 10b I wonder what happened to that idea. Somewhere along the way, the church stopped catching people. Or, I should say, the mainline protestant church in America stopped catching people.
The mission of the church, from the days when Jesus walked the earth to the present moment, has essentially been...
December 2009
1 post
Testing
This is only a test. Posted via email from Bryan Hooper’s Posterous
November 2009
1 post
Car
Posted via web from Bryan Hooper’s Posterous
October 2009
1 post
Church libraries...
Few places have collected more dust in recent years than that attic at the parsonage and the church library. This is true of my parsonage attic and our church library, but is also practically universally true of all parsonages and libraries. Dan Dick recently reflected on this reality across Methodism, and his thoughts inspired me to think about our library situation. Another thing parsonage...
September 2009
3 posts
Social Justice?
“Social justice” is one of those buzz words that we preachers give a lot of credence too. Almost all of us look up to the great champions of social justice throughout history, from Martin Luther to his namesake King. I too have a long-standing interest in social justice going back to my seminary training and interest in liberation theology. Liberation theology was the first theology to...
Social Justice?
“Social justice” is one of those buzz words that we preachers give a lot of credence too. Almost all of us look up to the great champions of social justice throughout history, from Martin Luther to his namesake King. I too have a long-standing interest in social justice going back to my seminary training and interest in liberation theology. Liberation theology was the first theology to...
Wrong
The death penalty is wrong. It is wrong simply because it is wrong to kill someone. It is wrong because it doesn’t deter violent crime. It is wrong because it doesn’t alleviate a victim’s grief or loss. And it’s wrong because this can happen: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/01/opinion/01herbert.html?ref=todayspaper Rev. Bryan Hooper United Methodist Church of Hartford...
August 2009
4 posts
Health Care: Off Track
I remain dismayed at the current state of the health care reform debate.I was particularly dismayed this morning while listening to an NPR report on Morning Edition. I realize that the report is covering the fringe, and not the mainstream. But I also realize that it is the fringe that has gotten this debate off track. There is a legitimate debate to be had about how to extend health care to those...
Discerning my call
Exploration is a United Methodist event designed to help young people discern their call to ministry. A recent spate of bloggers posted their own personal stories of their calling, as a way of celebrating and supporting Exploration 2009, set for November. I thought I would join the effort.Looking back now, after about 10 years of professional ministry, I have come to see my call confirmed....
I just discovered Posterous
Recently, I reevaluated my blogging patterns. Frankly, I was tired of having a blog but not really running a blog. I have come to believe that blog is a verb. And if you don’t keep at it and update it relatively frequently, at some point it is no longer a blog…it just blah.So, I was trying to find a way to post to one place easily - even effortlessly if possible - and then have all the...
More time to read...
This year, our new district superintendent sent me a note asking me (and my clergy colleagues, presumably) to put together a plan for “continuing education.” Formally, we clergy have always been asked to make such a plan, but seldom have we been asked to actually produce one. I took the request in stride and, among other things, came up with a list of books I intend to read over the...