Welcome from
Eric O. Ledermann

about.me/ericledermann twitter.com/ericledermann facebook.com/ericledermann Eric Ledermann

Thanks for stopping in. Pour yourself a cup o' jo, take a load off your feet, and check out what's here. You are looking at my ramblings about issues of faith, life and culture—they are my own and are not necessarily shared by those with whom I work, live or otherwise engage.

My journey has led my family and me across the country where I have been introduced to a lot of people and a lot of different ways of doing things. One passion, though, runs through all these experiences: building beloved and sustainable community. "Sustainable" community is kind of a strange notion, as communities (people) change constantly, and things are always in motion. So, the latest chapter of my life has led me to the notion of "impermanence"—not an idea that comes naturally in a culture that likes to build monuments to our greatness for future generations to view and admire. But, I'm trying to practice my awareness of impermanence—the idea that nothing is permanent, nothing is forever, and things are always in flux.

Feel free to share your comments and engage in any conversation that may be happening here, but just know that I do reserve the right to delete any spam or anything I deem inappropriate or offensive. I look forward to dialoguing with anyone who cares to dialogue!

Peace and blessings,
                   Eric Ledermann

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Holy Week - Day 4

Presbyterians sharing in solidarity with our sisters and brothers who are fighting for their lives at the AZ State Capitol.

With every step Jesus took into and within Jerusalem, he pushed against the status quo of fear and oppression. He pushed the Jewish leadership in their cooperation with the empire. He pushed the Roman leadership, riding that thin line between nuisance and seditionist. The leaders saw that the crowd was getting behind Jesus, drawn to his preaching of love and justice (probably more the justice than the love). They needed to figure out how to […]

Not a ‘What’ But a ‘Way’

Me with Robin Meyers at The Fountains UMC in Fountain Hills, AZ.

Me with Robin Meyers at The Fountains UMC in Fountain Hills, AZ.

This weekend I proverbially sat at the feet (actually the back row) of sage writer Robin Meyers, pastor of Mayflower United Church of Christ (not to be confused with the Church of Christ), professor of Philosophy, and author of several books, including Saving Jesus From the Church: How to Stop Worshiping Christ and Start Following Jesus […]

A Parable

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In the Hebrew and Christian scriptures, it is written that we are called to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind. We are also called to love our neighbor as ourselves. In response, it was once asked: “Who is my neighbor?” And then, a story was told.

A young university student was walking home from class one afternoon. On the way, a group of thieves jumped him, beat him up, and […]

Hate and Violence in Tempe, Arizona

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I seem to be hearing of more reports of hateful and violent behavior by certain ultra conservative Christian groups on and around the ASU campus, let alone Tempe. A local “pastorâ€? (I use that term loosely) called for the execution of all homosexuals, among other dangerous statements he has made. There have been incidents in which our friends in the Muslim community have been harassed outside their Mosque on Friday nights as they enter […]

Lenten Journal - Day 2

Journaling

Today’s daily lectionary reading includes Deuteronomy 7.12-16. At first blush it is a frightening expression of God’s vengeance. The term in v. 16, unfortunately translated in the NRSV as “ordinances” and in other versions “laws,” is actually a legal term for “judgments.” The people are called to pay attention or heed God’s judgments, presumably against themselves as well as others given the context.

As with any scripture text, it must be read in […]

Jesus the Radical Lover #Ferguson

This is a piece I wrote for our church’s weekly email announcements, which went out yesterday.

It is difficult to know what to say or do in the face of such tragedies as the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and the communal cries from decades-old tensions in the aftermath. It is difficult to maintain composer or any sense of the peace of Christ in the face of the attempt by terrorists to ransom […]

Why Do We Hate?

Why do we hate     when it saps our energy     when it kills our compassion     when it requires so much of us

Why do we hate     when we are afraid     when we are unfamiliar     when we are angry

Why do we hate     when there are children dying     when there are people suffering     when we know it only adds         to the global pain we all feel

Why do we hate     when we say we are hungry for […]