Fleming Rutledge

@frutledge.bsky.social

Episcopal priest, theologian, author of "The Crucifixion: Understanding the Death of Jesus Christ" and many other books. Wife, grandmother. Working on the fault line between evangelical and progressive. Romans 11:32.

I'm drifting away...I hate to disappoint anyone who has "liked" my posts and I appreciate each of you very much. I won't go back to what was Twitter but I miss the energy. I'll stay here but won't be active. My energy now is focused on the care of my husband. Jesus is Lord...nothing else matters.

King Charles III sent a message about the Pope's death. He spoke warmly about his meetings with Francis, then gave thanks for "this faithful servant of Jesus Christ." The Queen spoke of her faith in Jesus in her last Xmas messages, but I have never heard KC3 name him so clearly before. A good thing.

I got an email from a young theological student who was not happy to hear an Easter sermon about "the resurrections that happen in our lives." How rare it is to hear a sermon that declares with Tom Holland (see link below) "THEY SAW SOMETHING." And because they saw something they changed the world.

Willie James Jennings' Good Friday sermons are now on YouTube. Look for them on the St Thomas 5th Ave website. I know a thing or two about preaching the Seven Last Words...this is at the highest level of theological drama. We listened to two of them tonight and the rest tomorrow. What a blessing.

Tomorrow, Good Friday, Willie James Jennings will be the Seven Words preacher at St Thomas 5th. I wouldn't miss it. It saddens me that the three hours of preaching that ruled when I was younger barely exists any more. I was honored to preach 35+ (lost count) Good Friday services. What happened?

There's a problem with the much-loved Holy Week hymn, "My song is love unknown." It's moving, but it's all about "my" vs. "they." Contrast that with the greater (IMO) hymn, "Ah, holy Jesus": Who was the guilty? 'Twas I, Lord Jesus, I it was denied thee; I crucified thee. See them at Hymnary.org

Dear friends, no one can fathom the depths we are suddenly in, just these last two months. The future of America the Beautiful is gravely endangered. As we enter Holy Week, may we be instant in worship, prayer, and Scripture--to strengthen us for a gospel witness as the Spirit moves we know not how

Its occurs to me that observance of Holy Week is a profound moment of truth for Christian faith. Deep rooting in the traditional liturgy, when it is not modified beyond recognition by trendy manipulation, is an antidote for the kind of "Christianity" that we see propping up the MAGA ideology.

This is beyond belief: Jim Wallis' book (among many others) banned at the Naval Academy. The "Christian" beliefs of JD Vance, Pete Hegseth, and other cohorts are so twisted as to be unrecognizable. religionnews.com/2025/04/07/m...

My book was just banned from the US Naval Academy library

(RNS) — Book bans are an aggressive, systemic form of lying. This one takes aim at key texts at the intersection of religion and racial justice.

religionnews.com

Val Kilmer. Never mind Batman, Top Gun, etc. His Doc Holliday is the most mesmerizing. I'm not interested in most of Tombstone but I've viewed it 3 times to see Doc. He's my huckleberry. And I've used "It's not revenge he's after; it's a reckoning" to help interpret God's ultimate purpose vs. evil.

O Lord of the nations, your ways are hidden. Human history contains such suffering, so many evils. Yet great historians have acknowledged the extraordinary staying power of American democracy thus far. We look to you for leaders to emerge in our time of desperate need. In the Name of the one King.

We Episcopalians lost so much when we gave this up. I grew up with it from early childhood, being in a Morning Prayer parish. It comforts me still, just as it was with the "offensive" phrases still in place.

Bild

I've been continuing my study of the American Revolution which I have been working on for several years now. It's very therapeutic. I have always thought that the "committees of correspondence" connecting patriots throughout the colonies might be a model for resistance in the church of today.

I was electrified by the splendid Fareed Zakaria, talking with brainy Ezra Klein on Ezra's podcast. It's long, but it's riveting and DEEP. If you don't have an hour and a half, start in the middle and listen to their testimony about Christianity. Find it on the usual podcast video sites...

I'm frustrated not to be in the pulpit these days, not that I think I am so special, but there have to be people out there who are gifted by the Spirit to be Elijah before Ahab. Elon Musk thinks he is the King of the Universe. Literally. Where is The Church? Let me know if I am missing something