The Brother Riley Traveling Gospel Show
Springsteen isn't the only guy taking his act on the road this fall. I myself have 3, count 'em 3, gigs this month.
On Sunday 9/16, I'll be giving a talk on "The Problem of Evil'' at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 367 Cranbury Road in East Brunswick, at 9 a.m. We'll examine 2000 years of Christian thinking on the subject in the course of one hour! Must be seen to be believed!
On Sunday 9/23, I'll be delivering a semon titled "The Heartbreak of an Unbroken Vow" at the 9:15 a.m. service at the Reformation Lutheran Church, Broadway & Locust, inWest Long Branch. I'll also be giving a short talk at the 11 a.m. fellowship hour immediately following on "Why We Believe What We Believe.''
And then on 9/30 I'll be preaching at the First Presbyterian Church of Avenel
at 631 E. Woodbridge Ave. in Avenel at 10:30. Step right up, and check it out!
On Sunday 9/16, I'll be giving a talk on "The Problem of Evil'' at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 367 Cranbury Road in East Brunswick, at 9 a.m. We'll examine 2000 years of Christian thinking on the subject in the course of one hour! Must be seen to be believed!
On Sunday 9/23, I'll be delivering a semon titled "The Heartbreak of an Unbroken Vow" at the 9:15 a.m. service at the Reformation Lutheran Church, Broadway & Locust, inWest Long Branch. I'll also be giving a short talk at the 11 a.m. fellowship hour immediately following on "Why We Believe What We Believe.''
And then on 9/30 I'll be preaching at the First Presbyterian Church of Avenel
at 631 E. Woodbridge Ave. in Avenel at 10:30. Step right up, and check it out!
posted by Michael Riley at 11:05 AM
25 Comments:
Do you get paid for these gigs? Do you honestly report to IRS as income? You also made a freudian slip. You wrote semon (semen?) instead of sermon.
Most visiting pastors do get a little something but the amount is at the church's discretion most of the time.
However, some do have a set fee. I remember one such guest pastor who kept invoking the church's name over and over in his sermon. Unfortunately, it was the wrong church. He was lucky he negotiated his fee ahead of time:-) This actually happened at Rev. Riley's old church.
I'll also go with the more likely "typo theory" and assume the Freudian slip was mostly in your own mind.
Hey backwards nebraska when it comes to Riley, assume nothing.
I'm going to use my psychic powers now. Mmmm... I see that 'anonymous' is not of the same religion as Michael Riley. Mmm... I also see that he is of a different political persuasion.
Yes, the psychic message is quite clear... either that or I simply made note a long time ago that people will quickly cough up the bile against someone of another faith or belief system and vociferously defend their own. It's rather automatic and unthinking but that's the way it works.
You should know Ray. You do exactly same thing as an atheist especially when you deride Maragaret.
Whoever you are, anon 1:27pm, thanks.
Anon 1:27 sounds like a psalm.
You're right,it does look like a scripture verse.
Of course, you folks missed the point... as expected. And then you jumped at what you thought was an opportunity to shoot me down. All for naught.
Perahaps if I explain it v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y. Those of you who possess guaranteed truth and who own the one true religion are blazingly quick to condemn others for not thinking the way you do. The tolerance that Jesus taught is lost on you folks. Yet you always manage to spin your anti-Jesus views into something self-congratulatory and self-satisfying. Case in point: Anonymous changed the subject to my statements in an attempt to avoid scrutiny of the anti-Jesus views expressed here.
All derision aside Ray, all that matters is your point of view. That you must constantly regurgitate anti-Christian nonsense at "you folks" at every turn shows not your intelligence, but rather your ignorance and gerbil-wheel obsession.
You are not one to accept chastisement, because you're always right. And there will never be an "I'm sorry" because you're always right. The lengths to which will put down others who disagree with you is amazing. What's worse, you may not even see it. Obviously, you don't.
You are a catalyst to many an angry exchange. And these exchanges are rarely productive, but are rather destructive.
You have my pity (whether you want it, or not).
mmmm,ray,I don't need my pyschic powers to know that you are more like Pat than you'll ever admit.
Two different extremes.
margaret wrote:
"All derision aside Ray, all that matters is your point of view."
We're beginning to agree.
"That you must constantly regurgitate anti-Christian nonsense at "you folks" at every turn shows not your intelligence, but rather your ignorance and gerbil-wheel obsession."
There it is again. Rather than address the issue I brought up you deflect it and try to change the subject.
"You are not one to accept chastisement, because you're always right."
Well, let's put it in perspective: No one here has shown me wrong. Until someone does your statement is premature.
"And there will never be an "I'm sorry" because you're always right."
This is more of what I said about changing the subject and not addressing the issue.
"The lengths to which will put down others who disagree with you is amazing. What's worse, you may not even see it. Obviously, you don't."
Prompting people into debate about their beliefs is not putting them down. Your reaction is telling, to say the least. It's obvious that you can't distinguish between the two. But then again, you prefer to play the victim and pretend that your religion is under attack -- a charge you've made but never substantiated.
"You are a catalyst to many an angry exchange. And these exchanges are rarely productive, but are rather destructive."
In fact I win by default. I get the standard reaction as you have given: Ignore any challenges and attack the challenger. Those who ignore the challenge are accidentally admitting something, don't you think?
"You have my pity (whether you want it, or not)."
Translation: You can't step up to debate the issue so you'll pretend that you're above it all.
The peanut gallery is astir... anonymously, of course. One tries to equate me with Pat and another one says "ditto".
Isn't it interesting that they equate the questioning of beliefs with the dogma of belief? Or is this yet another example of ignoring the challenge and attacking the challenger in hopes of soothing themselves in their failure to defend their beliefs?
Same old same old. You think you cleverly illict debate about faith, but you don't. People don't react pleasantly to your tries at "debate" because no one wants to debate someone who is malicious. There is really no point. You don't seem to get that and just mark it "score another for Ray". You really live in a fantasy world.
I'll be happyto debate you when you have something important or relevant to say.
M
Why does anyone need to defend their faith, or lack of? Anyone can believe whatever they choose and call it whatever they want because in the end, noone will honestly agree to others' belief systems if it is not their own-no matter how much they claim to be open-minded about others' beliefs. It is human nature to stick with those of like beliefs and always will be-that's why there will always be Inquisitions, World Wars,Holy Wars and Holocausts.
There's a reason why my mother told me to never discuss politics or religion with people you don't know.
Boy, all this began with a Freudian slip. I apologize for commenting to the first anonymous about it. It didn't exactly bring about thoughtful discussion.
There seems to be a fine line between debating and inciting and this blog definitely goes back and forth across it.
To get back to the original posting, perhaps taking up Rev. Riley's offer and attending one of his "gigs" will enlighten (or confirm) any thoughts you have about where he's coming from with his column and blog. At the very least you can then comment with first-hand knowledge rather than assumption.
Backwards nebraska, I think we all know where Riley is coming from.
Doubt it.
Moving on.
Margaret wrote:
"You think you cleverly illict debate about faith, but you don't."
Whether I think it's clever or not my point is made every time you evade.
"People don't react pleasantly to your tries at "debate" because no one wants to debate someone who is malicious. There is really no point."
Translation: "If I attack you personally I won't have to debate."
"You don't seem to get that and just mark it "score another for Ray""
It's not another score for me. It's my point being made again without refutation. Don't you understand what the outcome of that is?
" You really live in a fantasy world."
Nah. If I lived in a fantasy world I'd believe that asses can speak, that a man survived being in the belly of a whale (called a 'fish' in the Bible), that a woman gave birth without "doing it", that a man walked on water, etc.
"I'll be happyto debate you when you have something important or relevant to say."
Translation: "I can't respond so I'll pretend to be annoyed at the whole idea."
anon#23 wrote:
"Why does anyone need to defend their faith, or lack of?"
Remember that the discussion was about religion before I even started. Any thoughts or ideas posted into a blog are fair game.
If Mr. Riley decided to visitsomewhere near Atlantic or Burlington counties, I might consider it, but all those dates are in Monmouth, I believe.
Gee Margaret, I guess you aren't a true Riley groupie afytr all.If it were Springsteen..well, that;s another obsession.
Nah, I haven't been to any of his traveling gospel show events.
I did meet him once, though. And I've spoken to him. I think he actually called me once, to thank me, in regard to something he wrote, in which I responded. I think at the time he said "It's nice to read something positive...most people just say "You stink." He didn't say "stink", actually. :)
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