Some thoughts upon the murder of Tyre Nichols
> Sadly, infuriatingly, we now must add the name of Tyre Nichols to the long list of those who have been needlessly killed by police. Although I choose not to watch video with the kind of violence Tyre Nichols suffered, I have read detailed descriptions of the incident, and I support the public release of such videos. I feel, however, like my soul is damaged by such video – the violence is so unnatural, so inhuman, so monstrous, that I
What’s My Why? (by: Rev. Robb Knuepfer)
Why am I a Christian? Our Christian faith is grounded on the principle of love, and we are assured of God’s unconditional love of each of us by the redeeming grace of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. God calls us to live by the laws given to us in the form of the Ten Commandments. If all of us followed these rules, we would avoid the moral problems of the human experience. When Jesus was asked by the lawyer which of the
What’s My Why?
I am a Christian because there are a lot of ways in which the world - everything from my heart to global power structures - is messed up. There are a lot of ways in which this world is alienated from its true nature, ways in which we are alienated from our true selves. And I am persuaded to believe that the way of Jesus is the best shot we have at being led home. But why? "Why, Mike are you
Weeping and Rejoicing (A Youth Update by Grant Glowiak)
Romans 12:15 “Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep” That verse is the backbone of our high school youth group. Every week we gather and share our ‘highs and lows’ from the past week, both the adults and the youth. We as the adult leaders model what it means to be honest and vulnerable, as we all together practice our story-telling skills. It doesn’t necessarily ‘look’ all that ‘religious’ or ‘spiritual,’ but the highs and lows we talk
A Reflection on Abortion by Mike Solberg
With the Supreme Court's recent decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization changing the legal framework of abortion in this country, many have been thinking again about abortion. Intentionally being a gathering of disciples of Jesus with a variety of views of faith and life, Union Church, of course, does not have one set, official view on abortion or the many complex issues that surround it. However, I (Mike) also believe that contributing to consideration of important issues is
A rabbi, a pastor, and an imam…
A rabbi, a pastor, and an imam walk into a bar, and the bartender says, "What is this, a joke?” On April 20, I attended the annual interfaith iftar at the MECCA Center in Willowbrook. Along with Rabbi Jessie Wainer (Congregation Etz Chaim in Lombard) and Imam Hassan Aly (MECCA Center), I gave a short talk and participated in a Q and A session. So, it wasn’t actually a bar, and it wasn’t a joke – although it was a really