about

I’m Chad Andrew Herring, and welcome to my weblog.

Roeminations is my attempt to journal about life, faith, culture, etc., while I engage in ministry as Associate Pastor at Southminster Presbyterian Church. We sit at the corner of 63rd and Roe in Prairie Village, Kansas, a suburban community outside of Kansas City. (If you’re wondering, Roeminations is the act of Rumination on Roe Avenue…)

Very briefly: this is my first call, which I’ve held for about two years. I’m more or less a generalist, and I work with the Christian Education and Family Life committees as well as sharing pastoral care and worship duties.

A few things that will become pretty clear. The blogging that I do here is not in any way the responsibility of Southminster or the Presbyterian Church or the like. I am related to them through ordination and installation vows; I am one of their pastors and representatives. My work and my life is intertwined with them, and Southminster hosts this website for the time being.

But this blog is not a Southminster blog; it is my blog, about things of interest to me or about things that I think are important, whether it is important to the life of Southminster or to Johnson County, Kansas, or to the wider world. This is an vital distinction that I want to emphasize. And I gather that, just as I am afforded the freedom, and indeed am expected to exercise it, when approaching scripture for the purpose of exegesis and sermon preparation, the same will be presumed for this forum. Any failing you find on this page is solely my own, and I take responsibility for it.

So I might (or might not) talk about a whole host of things: various issues of theology or biblical exegesis; matters of church and state, thoughts about the wars we’re in over in Iraq and Afghanistan, what it means for our country to adopt torture as an “enhanced interrogation technique,” or things like that. In fact, that last one has captivated my conscience for quite a while now, and I think the church in America has lots to say about torture.

So, the commentary, vision, commitments laid out on these pages are my own, and I take sole responsibility for them. I don’t plan to be intentionally political, but I don’t plan to shy away from it either. I am who I am. I do not think a case can be made that Jesus Christ was a-political, either. Issues that he cared about–poverty, purity, peace–intersect with the public realm and thus have a political dimension. The church has something to say about things that are happening in the world.

However, I also know that you are who you are, and I love you for it. I will endeavor to write with respect for honest differences of opinion, with candor and humility, and with love and faith for God and God’s creation. I promise, like I do in every aspect of my life, to conduct myself with as much integrity as I am able, living my life in such a way that commends the gospel as I am able to articulate it.

I don’t suspect that everyone in my church or that all those who stumble across the blog will agree with the whole substance of the posts I make, but that is ok, since I believe in the importance of diverse voices at the table when discussing these matters.

A quick word about my comment policy. If you would like to, I encourage you to comment as you wish. I tend to allow quite a bit of leeway with comments, though I will not permit comments which are in my sole judgment spam (of course), vitriolic or abusive, off topic, or beyond the pale. I don’t take responsibility for what others write there, but I’ll try to keep it both as free as possible and as upright as possible. I admit, that’s a hard balance. Take it for what its worth.

If there is anything of use here, I give thanks to God and give God the credit. If there is anything to find fault with, there is no blame but my own. Regardless of the subject matter, if we agree, or if we disagree, I welcome you here as my brother and sister in Christ. I’m glad to share a journey together with you!

Here might reside e-votionals, commentary, sermon or lectionary ideas, references to current events, and some humor. Some posts will reflect the lighter side of human life, others will point to our potential for error. I hope to offer reflection about the current state of my particular denomination, but beyond that, to Christianity and faith in general in 21st century America. We’ll see just how well that works. Please join me on this conversation. I’m glad you are here.