Author Archives: Paul Harris

About Paul Harris

Pastor Harris retired from congregational ministry after 40 years in office on 31 December 2023. He is now devoting himself to being a husband, father, and grandfather. He still thinks cenobitic monasticism is overrated and cave dwelling under.

What’s all this fuss about Self-Identifying?

Posted on January 15, 2018 by Paul Harris

I think the fuss started when the leader of the Spokane chapter of the NAACP stepped down after self-identifying as a black person. You can, indeed, should and must, self-identify your gender, and a pox on your house if you … Continue reading →

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What do Seminex, Kloha, and ELDONA have in common?

Posted on December 26, 2017 by Paul Harris

The answer to this query comes from me, but it is based on an article written by the Reverend Doctor David Scaer. It is good to know not everyone is asleep at the switch at the seminaries, not everyone is … Continue reading →

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Playing First Century in Red Pantaloons

Posted on December 11, 2017 by Paul Harris

Krister Stendahl, a Swedish Lutheran theologian, gave a lecture at an Episcopalian seminary in 1982. It was on Romans. I was in attendance. I remember thinking either this man is too smart for me to understand or so stupid he … Continue reading →

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Finally Free

Posted on November 20, 2017 by Paul Harris

For 34 years AAL, then Thrivent for Lutherans, then Thrivent for Christians provided me with a desk diary each year, gratias, free of charge, on the arm, or maybe not. It was always in varying shades of red except in … Continue reading →

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Halloween: Not Just for Pagans Anymore

Posted on October 30, 2017 by Paul Harris

This is a bonus blog. It’s a sermon from the year 2000.  It’s always on my website, but because the pamphleteers are out again trying to bind the consciences of Christians, I’m reposting it here.

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The Fabricated Luther

Posted on October 30, 2017 by Paul Harris

In Dr. Uwe Siemon-Netto’s helpful 1993 book The Fabricated Luther he shows how it takes a misreading of history to lay Hitler and Nazism at the feet of Luther. But the Luther fabricated by William Shirer in his 1960 book … Continue reading →

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Why a Good Host Doesn’t Use the Word Host

Posted on October 9, 2017 by Paul Harris

Here is a letter – surprise, surprise – that wasn’t relegated to the trash can by its receipts. The The Lutheran Witness published it in the October 2017 issue.

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A Barmecidian Feast – Visit to an Episcopal Church

Posted on October 2, 2017 by Paul Harris

The title comes from a tale in The Arabian Nights. A Barmecidian Feast is an expression that refers to anything that promises much and delivers little. It comes from the story of a very rich host who would invite beggars … Continue reading →

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Civil Religion Casts a Creed

Posted on September 11, 2017 by Paul Harris

Surely you’ve seen this sign. It is popular in Austin, no wonder at that. Austinites confess their faith on bumpers, shirts, body parts and now a yard sign.

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Coupage Coal Miner’s Communion, and Mutage

Posted on August 21, 2017 by Paul Harris

The 1970 book Wines for Everyone says this. “It would be neat to say that there is only one kind of bad wine but a million sorts of good. Unfortunately, this is untrue, for the ingenuity of some wine merchants … Continue reading →

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