Anthony B. Robinson

Tony is a writer, teacher, speaker and ordained minister (United Church of Christ). He served as Senior Minister of Seattle’s Plymouth Congregational Church for fourteen years. His newest book is Useful Wisdom: Letters to Young (and not so young) Ministers. He divides his time between Seattle and a cabin in Wallowa County of northeastern Oregon. If you’d like to know more or receive his regular blogs in your email, go to his site listed above to sign-up.

Only Murders in the Building: A House-full of Enablers

If we are applying this to our current politics and culture, a finger is pointed at Trump, Musk, and all the other happy warriors of disruption, self-promotion, and cruelty.

Hard Truths for the Democratic Party

Instead of “say it again louder” as Ken Martin seems to suggest, or stand pat (“I wouldn’t change anything”) as Kamala Harris chose to do, a new message and agenda are required.

A Few Shreds of Hope as we Stumble Further into the Age of Trump?

Perhaps sensing a bleak mood among their readers, some of the columnists/commentators I follow began the year by trying, or so it appeared, to talk us back from the edge.

Decline of Institutions: Why We Still Need Religion

We have been witnessing the collapse of religion. As a kind of bulwark, answering questions for people on why they are here. What’s the difference between right and wrong?”

The New Pandemic: Tesla Sudden Status Reversal Disorder (TSSRD)

“One day you are a person of virtue and status who is saving the world, and the next, well, you’re almost a criminal."

What Role for the Church in Trump’s World?

The church’s role is not an apolitical one. The church’s role is to be prophetic, challenging all abuses of power (of the right or the left). What the church must not do is surrender its independence by promoting a partisan political agenda.

Peace of Mind in the ‘Attention Economy’

If the attention economy is new, the inner conflict between what we should do and what we actually do is very old, as old as Scripture.

The Ghost of Inauguration Past

It was 17 degrees on January 20, 1961, the day John F. Kennedy was inaugurated. There had been snow the night before and six to ten inches still lay on the sidewalks on Pennsylvania Avenue as work crews shoveled away.

Market-Driven Neo-Liberalism and the Rise of Mega-Churches

It occurs to me is that the neo-liberal period tracks pretty well with the emergence and ascendency of what we came to know as “the mega-church.”

Never Enough: The Acceleration Trap

Everything is constantly accelerating, moving faster. That feels pretty accurate, don’t you think? Go faster, work harder, do more, accomplish more in less time. It’s really crazy.

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