Corcovado jesus (Photo credit: @Doug88888)
Below is the link to the sermon I preached entitled “Here Is My Servant” based on Isaiah 42:1-9.
Sermon Link
(Recorded by Voice Record Pro by Bej Bej Apps for iOS)
In Christ,
Rev. Evan
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I am a minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)–it’s OK… many people have never heard of it, too.
I could bore you with the history of the Disciples of Christ but in a nut shell it is the oldest Christian denomination founded on American soil and follows a few basic principles.
You can read more about the Disciples by clicking here and watch a nice video by clicking here.
Every two years the denomination gets together for a conference of sorts called the General Assembly. It is a time of worship, reflection, sharing, learning and discussion. Every year ministries and groups with in the denomination go through a process of proposing resolutions before the Assembly. There is a lengthy process of discernment before the general board sets the agenda. In years past things have been debated ranging from immigration reform to moral injury study to how the church understands itself in the 21st century and everything in between.
This year one resolution in particular is generating a lot of buzz. It’s resolution 1327. You can read it in full here.
In a nutshell the resolution calls upon the church to be a place of grace and welcome to all people understanding that all our welcomed at the table of God and thus that radical grace is extended to all.
Some people believe that this resolution is over reaching with regards to how the church is structured. If the church is autonomous from the national church then who a church welcomes or not welcomes is up to them. Some believe that it is a good resolution but fails to address certain issues that have been plaguing the DOC for many year.
But I think it goes deeper than that.
I believe that this resolution calls upon the church to be the church. In the church we have put up artificial barriers. We decide who is in and who is out, who has the power and who is a by standard. The church needs to step up to the plate and open its doors to all people from every walk of life and even differing sexual orientation. If the church is to have any relevance in the 21st century and beyond then it has to stop judging people first and then giving them a relationship. It works the other way around. People (especially those disenfranchised with the church) are not looking for a place for people think they are better than everyone else in the world all under the guise of religion. No, people are looking for something greater than themselves and for a community that does more than pay lip service to how all people “have fallen short of the Glory of God.”
After people are welcomed despite their faults (or perceived faults) then and only then can a congregation have conversations about sin, morality, interpretation and the authority of scripture or whatever. It’s about relationships first not judgment. Christ welcomed people from all walks of life and even had the audacity to call a Samaritan good (a big non-no in his time).
How can grace and welcome ever be a bad thing? In my opinion never.
Watch the video below; I believe it articulates the intent of the resolution well.
In Christ,
Rev. Evan
Below is the link to the sermon I preached entitled “You Will See Great Things” based on John 1:43-51.
Sermon Link
(Recorded by Voice Record Pro by Bej Bej Apps for iOS)
In Christ,
Rev. Evan
Now that I am a Chaplain in Beaumont, I thought I wouldn’t be preaching as much, but I was wrong. I have been asked by a Disciples of Christ congregation in Beaumont (Northwood Christian) to fill their pulpit for the month of June. I was honored that they asked and happy to do it.
Below is the link to the sermon I preached entitled “Doctor, Doctor.”
Sermon Link
(Recorded by Voice Record Pro by Bej Bej Apps for iOS)
In Christ,
Rev. Evan
Today I found out that I was listed in the Top Five Coolest Dads on the Internet by People Magazine! They ranked me number 3!
Here is what they wrote:
When Evan Dolive, a reverend from Houston heard about Victoria’s Secret’s Bright Young Things collection, he wasn’t exactly running to the mall. Based on observations of the collection – which ranged from polka-dotted hipsters screen-printed with the phrase “Feeling Lucky?” to thongs emblazoned with the words “Call me” on the front – he was worried the iconically sexy retailer was targeting middle school-aged girls. And so he thought of his daughter, a 3-year-old who loves princesses, peanut butter and jelly and drawing pictures for people.
“I want my daughter (and every girl) to be faced with tough decisions in her formative years of adolescence,” he wrote in a March letter on his blog. “Decisions like should I be a doctor or a lawyer? Should I take calculus as a junior or a senior? … I want my daughter to know that she is perfect the way she is; I want my daughter to know that no matter what underwear she is wearing, it does not define her.” –Written by Alison Schwartz on people.com
I am honored to be selected for this list. As I have said many times before (and will say many times again), I never thought that my letter to Victoria’s Secret would ever garner this much attention.
Thanks to everyone for reading and supporting me on this journey!
A BIG THANK YOU TO PEOPLE.COM AND THE AUTHOR ALISON SCHWARTZ!
If you would like to see the others listed click here for the full article.
In Christ,
Rev. Evan
I enjoy a good book. I’ve liked books from when I was a child reading when I was three. I didn’t care for the readings that were forced upon me in High School English but after college I learned to enjoy reading again. I like being caught up in a story, finding a book that you can’t put down and having that sense of accomplishment when I close the book for the final time. I like to delve into a person’s biography to learn about their development and the reasonings for beginning their life’s calling. Ever since I attended seminary my list of books on my “to-read” list has been ever growing. Due to the rise of technology books can go with us with general ease. I love my Kindle and when I don’t have it I know the Kindle App is right there for me.
But all of that goes out the window when it comes to children’s books. To be honest, I love children’s books. It started when I was a kid; my mother is a Kindergarten teacher and I liked to read her latest addition. I thought they were cute, funny, simplistic and even poignant.
When I became a parent I knew that at some point the daily routine would including reading stories to my child. I knew the stats about verbal ability and cognition with respect to a child hearing the language.
But that changes when you have to read the same book over and over again before bed with your child. I, like many parents, have tried the reverse psychology to get out of reading “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom” for the 147th time that month, but it never works. Hiding them never works either; we have to look through the entire bookshelf until the book “magically” reappears.
So whatever the book choice is, I read it, sometimes by memory and sometimes with a smile on my face. Sometimes as I am reading the book in my head I am adding witty banter and commentary for two reasons: 1) it helps me to stay awake and engaged in the story and 2) the book will be entertaining to me and not a chore. As hard as I try it can be difficult to be fully present at bedtime readings.
But maybe through it all I am taking children’s books too seriously. Have I been jaded by my 30 year old eyes in which I see the world? Do I see children’s books as more fantasy than reality to which we are propping up our children? Do I need to learn to relax and enjoy some easy reading? Maybe…
For example, my daughter has this book about going to the doctor. It’s a cute book but there are some glaring issues that I see in it. First, the boy is sick and needs to go to the doctor. His mother takes him but also takes his friend along with him because she had a tummy ache last week and needed to go back for a check up. I get what the author is trying to do here; the author is trying to show that sometimes we have to go to doctor even if we feel better to ensure everything is ok. But that is not what I have an issue with. First, the two children are holding hands throughout the book. My first thought was “isn’t the boy sick and won’t that transfer the germs to the girl?” Secondly, is it legal for the mom to take another person’s child to the doctor? I used to work in a healthcare setting and my HIPAA alarm was going off. Finally, the examination room was the size of a small house. The room had a table, an area to play for the child who wasn’t being seen, a desk with a computer for the doctor and a view of a beautiful landscape. In what fantasy land does this place exist? In my experience of exam rooms, they are about the size of a janitor’s closet and have maybe two chairs and several copies of Zoo Books from 1987 in them, with diagrams of the human body and Care Bears adorning the walls.
Maybe my beef with children’s books is that I wish that they could be reality. In children’s books the world is so much simpler. Animals talk and walk and in some cases run for President, the doctor is not a scary place to go, there is generally a resolution of conflict is a manner of distributive justice and good moral teaching. As a father that’s what I want for my daughter, but I know that truly is a fantasy. I know that the world is not as happy and pretty as the books make it, but maybe that is why we read them in the first place.
Maybe I do take them too seriously from my adult perspective, but for a child I believe that they can be a glimpse of what can be and how humanity can act or even should act. Books offer an escape from the world around us; they allow us to enter into a place for maybe a moment to find respite and to use the power of our imagination.
I have no plans to stop reading to my children or stop taking them seriously, but I do hope for the idyllic worlds found within the pages of children’s books will come to life in their lives.
Here’s to the dreams that children have, may they come true.
In Christ,
Rev. Evan
As a minister, a question I am often asked is “Why isn’t the Bible easier to read?” It would be nice if the canon of Scripture were in a way that was a easier to digest or even understand. The Bible contains the faith stories of a time gone by. The Church uses these texts as guides as how to live a faithful life. Through the stories of the prophets, the ministry of Jesus and even the letters of the early church we can learn how God moved and impacted the lives of the faithful.
However the Bible is not just filled with slogans and saying applicable for T-shirts, church mottoes and bumper stickers; some of the messages or even commands make us scratch our heads and ask “how in the world did that make it in to a book of holy scripture?”; “Did God really intend for that to be the standard of holiness?”
Today I am announcing my intention to start a new series.
Over the course of the next few weeks (maybe longer), I will explore some of the harsh messages found in the Bible. I am not saying that I will figure them all out but I will try to engage in a dialogue with the text.
Here is where you come in. What are some of the messages or stories in the Bible that you find harsh?
Fill out the form below and submit them to me. You never know yours might be chosen!
In Christ,
Rev. Evan
On May 26, 2013, I preached my final sermon at Bethany Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
I was serving there as their Interim Minister. On June 3, I will be a Staff Chaplain at Saint Elizabeth Hospital in Beaumont, Texas.
Leaving is never easy to do but I am looking forward to the new opportunities that await me.
To the members and friends of Bethany, thank you for the opportunity to serve as your Interim Minister.
Sermon Link (Romans 5:1-5)
In Christ,
Rev. Evan
Two months ago today I clicked publish on a post about Victoria’s Secret Spring Break Collection called “Bright Young Things.” The aim of the letter was to let Victoria’s Secret know (as well as whomever would listen) that I disliked their marketing to a younger demographics and how they set up an unattainable standard of sexuality and beauty.
To date the letter has been read/viewed on this site nearly 3.8 million times from all around the world. The letter is still be read today and shared over the internet.
To date the letter has been shared on Facebook over 765,000 times, on Twitter over 5100 times, almost 100 times on LinkedIn and over 550 times on Google Plus.
I want to take this time to say thank you for everything!
Because of the exposure I received, I have begun to contribute to a few websites- the Good Men Project, Sojourners and RadicalParents.com. I am humbled and honored to contribute to these great sites. I will try to post my articles here whenever I can.
I have been completely overwhelmed by all of this and I all of you to thank. Without you sharing, liking, emailing and commenting- none of this would have ever happened.
I still have not had an official response from Victoria’s Secret (and I do not expect to), but another clothing company did.
About month ago Fruit of the Loom contacted me to let me know that they had seen my letter online. They liked it and wanted to send my daughter “age appropriate” underwear. They sent my daughter 10 pairs! She was so excited to get them in the mail.
I want to take this opportunity to say a big THANK YOU to Fruit of the Loom. Thank you for generosity and for thinking of my daughter! (The items pictured can be found here and here.)
Thank you again! Keep reading, sharing and liking!
In Christ,
Rev. Evan
One of the most talked about and polarizing texts in all of the canon of Scripture is the book of Revelation. This book has been the subject of fiery debates, discussions, theological stances, studies and TV programs on TBN.
At first glance the book of Revelation doesn’t really seem to fit with the rest of the New Testament. It’s style and language are different than anything else in the Bible. Reformer Martin Luther (as well as others) wanted the book to be removed from the Bible.
When it comes to interpretation of this book there are several camps of thought but I will highlight two of them:
The Rapture Exposed puts forth the thesis that the book of Revelation has been misunderstood for many years. The author claims that the book was not meant to be a future predicting, dispensational text,where people are trying to connect events in the world to the ancient text. The author believes that the message of Revelation is really a hopeful one.
The book looks into the nature of Dispensational theology and how the text does not support this idea; one of the most popular modern versions of the this theology is the Left Behind series. This series has sold millions of books world wide and even spun off into three films (with a reported reboot coming soon starring Nicolas Cage). The Left Behind series follows the life of people who have been left behind after the “rapture” of all Christians on the earth. They have to battle the evil Anti Christ and try to get the message out about the salvation of God in Christ before God destroys the world and starts anew.
The author, Barbara Rossing, writes:
To understand the biblical basis for much of today’s end-times thinking we have to begin our story further back than the book of Revelation. In the view of Darby and other dispensationalists, God’s whole biblical plan for the end-times is already mapped out in the Old Testament. The entire end-times framework of Darby’s dispensationalist system is based on just three verses at the end of chapter 9 of Daniel! (page 25)
The problem according to Rossing is that the Book of Revelation has been distorted to fit the model of theology instead of the Book itself shaping a model of theology. She points out that no where in the text does the word “Anti Christ” appear as well as there is no mention of the Anti Christ establishing a covenant with Israel and then breaking that covenant. These items have been read into the pages of scripture and made to fit.
Rossing lays out well reasoned arguments on why the message of Revelation is one of hope and not World War III. The message of Revelation is one that is centered in the notion of God’s revealing and redemptive power now, not in some predetermined future date. She writes,
Like the visionary journeys of Dicken’s A Christmas Carol, Revelation’s vision of seals, trumpets, bowls, and other manifestations are meant to be a wake-up call. They unveil the urgency of God’s justice and judgment by taking us on terrifying journey, all with the goals of persuading us to ally ourselves with God’s vision for our world. The journeys are not intended as literal predictions of events that must; they are nightmarish warnings of what may happen– if we do not follow God’s nonviolent Lamb. (page 91)
The Book of Revelation has been used as a tool for right action and orthodoxy (correct belief). The mode of thinking is: one does not know when the end of the world will be so you better get right with God or you will witness the destruction of the world. The faithful of God, however, according to dispensational theology, will have a front row view of the end of the world and humanity from Heaven.
Revelation is not a book written to inspire fear or terror. But it is definitely written to increase a sense of urgency for our world. It is an apocalyptic wake-up call for each of us, precisely because there is hope for us and for our world. … Revelation teaches us a fierce, urgent, and wonderful hope– not an easy comfort, but a hope that knows the reality of terror and evil and still can testify to God’s love in the face of that terror. (page 170)
Overall I thought this text was a good overview of the pitfalls of a literal interpretation of Revelation and I believe that the message of hope as laid out in this text is a refreshing one, one that the church needs to hear more of. This type of hopeful theology is one that is not being promoted and propagated in the church today; if it is for may it is falling on deaf ears.
★★★★☆
4 out of 5 stars
Amazon Link
In Christ,
Rev. Evan
Rev. Dr. Evan M. Dolive 