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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Smile, It Confuses People

It’s Monday. For many, it’s the day of dragging ourselves out of bed after a couple of days of not having to think about work, and trudging to that place that sucks much of our time and energy. I’ve read a number of articles and blog posts over the last several years about the Church losing it’s way and continually living in a confused Monday-mindset. I used to think we were finding our way […]

Why I Am A Progressive Christian

For the past several weeks I have been in deep thought and reflection. I am disappointed and saddened by events in our country. I am saddened by the divides and the hate that so many of our leaders seem to have encouraged and spawned. It is one thing to have an opinion and share it. It is another when those who have a different opinion are demonized. I have been accused of deepening the divide, […]

Prayer of Thanksgiving

I haven’t posted anything the past couple of weeks, since the election. I have been listening to people’s reactions and trying to process what happened and what it might mean for our nation and world. Each year our local Tempe Interfaith Fellowship hosts an Interfaith Thanksgiving Service. It is an amazing service, and a highlight of the season for many. This year I was asked to offer the Prayer of Thanksgiving, which also served as […]

Connectional Living

In the Presbyterian Church we wrap our vision around three ideas discerned over hundreds and thousands of years of the Christian Church:

Confessional, Constitutional, and Connectional.

We are confessional because we confess our faith and are guided by historical confessions written over thousands of years in response to particular situations and contexts. We are constitutional because we shape our communal life together around a constitution, which includes the Book of Confessions (Part I) […]

Presbyterianism and Ordered Life

An interesting question popped in my head recently-maybe I got it from someone else. In many communions/denominations there are “orders,” subgroups within the community that seek to reflect their engagement with the wider community and world in particular ways, but continue to coexist with other groups.

In the PC(USA) we have many groups: Presbyterians for Renewal, Covenant Network of Presbyterians, Fellowship of Presbyterians, More Light Presbyterians, etc. Some of them are single-issue, some reflect a […]

“Restorative” Justice?

This past weekend we had a few guests at Church: Leroy and Joan Willems with the Mennonite Central Committee, and Will Gonzalez, Chief Deputy Prosecutor with the City of Phoenix. They came to share with us something that has been sweeping through communities and transforming how they go about “being” community: Restorative Justice.

The thrust of their version of this flavor of justice is trying to “fix” broken situations in a way that helps the […]

VLOG-Season 1, Episode 3: Eucharist

Tables. Meals. Fellowship. This week I start unpack the depth of meaning behind the Eucharist (aka, Communion or the Lord’s Supper).

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BlogPost: Don’t Promote the Hate

In 2014 a local pastor of a very small independent Baptist community preached a sermon calling for the execution of all homosexual people, posted a video of the sermon on YouTube, and then bought advertising on Facebook to promote it. It was picked up by the news and the sermon went viral. In response, the local interfaith community wrote a response (see here). In the wake of the tragic mass shooting in Orland, […]