Author Archives: Richard Heyduck

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About Richard Heyduck

Pastor of Hardy Memorial Methodist Church, a Global Methodist Congregation. PhD Fuller Seminary MDiv Asbury Seminary BA Southwestern University

Cultural Dissonance

Posted on June 18, 2012 by Richard Heyduck

At least since the 1960s, being counter-cultural has been in. Paradoxically, we might go so far as to say that refusing to be counter-cultural is currently counter-cultural. Being at odds with our culture has become a virtue, not just in … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, United Methodism, Will Willimon | 2 Comments

Just Whose Idea Was It?

Posted on June 14, 2012 by Richard Heyduck

Will Willimon notes: Ministry, in any of its forms, is always God’s idea before it is ours. While we may eventually enjoy our clerical vocation, we do it first of all not because it causes us bliss but rather because … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Discipleship, Ministry, United Methodism, Will Willimon | Leave a comment

Change or Die, part 2

Posted on June 13, 2012 by Richard Heyduck

Change is good! New is good! Growth is good! It’s so nice to deal with abstractions. In my last post I mentioned some forms of growth that aren’t very desirable. Cancer. The bloat of decomposition. In this post I’m going … Continue reading →

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Change or Die

Posted on June 13, 2012 by Richard Heyduck

I’m picky when it comes to shoes. I want shoes that fit well and are comfortable all day. I want to spend as little time and money as I can when I acquire them. For now, I’ve settled on a … Continue reading →

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Individual vs. Collective

Posted on June 12, 2012 by Richard Heyduck

Listening to Peter Harrison’s fifth Gifford Lecture as I drove to Marshall today, I heard his description of a shift from natural philosophy to science in the early modern period. Under the old paradigm (and I use Kuhn’s term intentionally), … Continue reading →

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Original Sin

Posted on June 12, 2012 by Richard Heyduck

Though ostensibly a theological doctrine, original sin has been secularized at least since the time of Thomas Hobbes. (David Brook’s recent column is not too far afield.) Hobbes described the original and natural state of humans as the “war of … Continue reading →

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Permanence

Posted on June 11, 2012 by Richard Heyduck

Some places up north, the ground is frosty in the winter time. If you want to dig a hole, you wait until the spring thaw. Even farther north, one might find permafrost. If you want to dig there, get your … Continue reading →

Posted in United Methodism, Will Willimon | 1 Comment

Insouciance

Posted on June 11, 2012 by Richard Heyduck

One of the books I’m reading is Will Willimon’s latest, Bishop. Ok, since it came out a couple of months ago it’s probably not his latest any more, but it’s close. I find that Willimon’s snarky style provokes so many … Continue reading →

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Changing Religion

Posted on May 24, 2012 by Richard Heyduck

When I was a young Christian, I used to hear a lot about cults. We had to be on the watch for them. Among the groups so identified were the Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Moonies, and the Worldwide Church of … Continue reading →

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The Future of Lon Morris

Posted on May 24, 2012 by Richard Heyduck

Lon Morris College has been in the news lately, but not in a good way. Most recently almost all faculty and staff have been released because of their deep financial problems. I am not an alumnus of Lon Morris and … Continue reading →

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