Author Archives: Arlan

Bad: Fire drill

If, at the end of the service, the pastor rushes to the exit (like any good shepherd trying to head off the flock), and then counts the sheep as they leave with all orderly haste, you will be right to wonder if what transpired was fellowship among friends, or some other less pleasant, if necessary, task; dress rehersal of the Read More


Bad: You may now shake hands

So far, out of three church services I have attended, in three of them we were instructed by the pastor to shake hands with other members of the congregation, or otherwise greet one another. If you understand “fellowship” as a meeting among peers, and Christian fellowship as a gathering of Christians to discuss life in Christ, then being instructed to Read More


“You don’t have to be good for nothing”

Today I did go to a Presbyterian church, not to be daunted by last week’s mistake. It was very little different from the Episcopalian service that I unintentionally attended last week. It was a little less formalized, with fewer distinct steps in the service and higher ratio of unique (as opposed to liturgical) content, but if you called it relaxed Read More


Still stealing furniture

My nearly vacant living room has been depressing me. It’s all I see from my perch in front of the computer, which is all I use to amuse myself. So even though I am almost always on the computer if I am not making supper, and I have a great Ikea-knock-off chair if I do want to sit, I have Read More