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Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down.

I Kings 18:30 NKJV

Altar is one of those words you hear on occasion at church and simply let it pass without much reflection of thought. The word is used 455 times in both the Old and New Testaments, so it is familiar by concept, but perhaps less by actual usage. The concept of altar has some development through the scriptures and is applicable in use to Judaism, Christianity, and even “pagan” religious expressions. So, when a person says the word “altar”, you cannot automatically assume it is being defined by your religious presupposition.Continue Reading

In 1926, writer Sinclair Lewis released a novel entitled, “Elmer Gantry”. The novel chronicled the life of a minister (Elmer Gantry) who was enamored with “the girls, the gold, and the glory”, as reflected in midwestern, American revivalism of the early 20^th century. My introduction to this book was an assigned reading for me in a graduate school philosophy class. Since the class was attended by mostly aspiring young ministers, the professor thought it might be a good springboard for us to discuss its premise and ethical challenge. My point is not to synopsize the book’s content. Personally, I would recommend every minister read the book and absorb the affect. (The 1960 movie with Burt Lancaster was nowhere close to providing the same impact.) The book’s lasting impact has affected me for close to 40 years.

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“And he (Abram) moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD.” (Genesis 12:8)

“Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom.” (Genesis 13:12)

Few people in western culture live in tents anymore…

Our accommodations are in the upper percentiles of modernity, convenience, and class…

But make no mistake…

Spiritually speaking…

Everyone pitches a tent somewhere…

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Popeye the sailor man was a cartoon character created in the 1930’s and was initially presented in movie theaters as a theatrical “short” before the main movie presentation. Popeye was a grumbling, pipe smoking, short-tempered character who most often found himself in a fight with his nemesis, “Brutus”, over the affections of his girlfriend, “Olive Oil”. I remember watching it as a kid in the 1960’s and like a few cartoons, made an impression in my mind which has lasted all these years.

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