Methodist Blogger Profile: Mike Voigts

Mike Voigts of Chimaera

I’m Mike Voigts. I live in Wilmore, KY where I’m working on my Ph.D. in historical theology, researching the letters of St. Bernard of Clairvaux (http://www.ewtn.com/library/MARY/BERNARD2.htm). For thirteen years I’ve been a pastor in the UMC, originally in Texas, and now in Kentucky. Church history and Christian spirituality are my academic specialties. Upon completion of my Ph.D. I hope to teach at the seminary level. Sheryl and I have been married since 1989. We have two incredible kids, Daniel and Julianne.

Why do you blog?
I always have something to say!

What has been your best blogging experience?
I think it’s great whenever I hear from someone who doesn’t profess to be a Christian, but they stumbled across my blog during a web search. I’ve carried-on a conversation with one such person for several weeks now. It’s great to see God using modern technology.

What would be your main advice to a novice blogger?
Don’t be afraid to let your voice be heard. Your blog is your place in the world to say what you want to say.

If you only had time to read three blogs a day, what would they be?
I think they’d have to be http://www.realmealministries.org/, http://www.anamchara.org.uk/, and (I must confess) www.bleedcubbieblue.com.

Who are your spiritual heroes?
I suppose my extra-biblical spiritual heroes would probably be Bernard of Clairvaux, Therese of Lisieux, Jerry Mercer, and the kids at God’s Backyard (http://www.godsbackyard.com).

What are you reading at the moment?
Aside from my Ph.D. research, I’m re-reading Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose and Dear Sister: Medieval Women and the Epistolary Genre, edited by Karen Cherewatuk and Ulrike Wiethaus.

What is your favorite hymn and why?
My favorite hymn is perhaps “To God Be the Glory,” (#98 UMH). What I love about this hymn is the place it gives God and humanity in the plan of salvation. The hymn is squarely focused on God, yet a human element is present, as well. It’s a hymn of Incarnation, which reminds us that we are not God, yet God became one of us so that we might become like God. The atonement theme is strong in this hymn.

Can you name a major moral, political, or intellectual issue on which you've changed your mind?
In the past few years I’ve changed my position on capital punishment. I used to favor the death penalty, but I just don’t see it being applied consistently.

What philosophical thesis do you think is most important to combat?
I think that relativism is a view of the world that appears noble, but in fact is centered on self-centeredness and arrogance.

If you could affect one major change in the governing of your country, what would it be?
I think it would be great to elect a President from outside the two dominant political parties.

If you could affect one major policy change in the United Methodist Church, what would it be?
This is easy: eliminate the guaranteed appointment.

What would be your most important piece of advice about life?
Life on earth is short. Don’t waste a single moment.

What, if anything, do you worry about?
I’m not a worrier by nature, but what concerns me is the shallowness of Protestant American spirituality.

If you were to relive your life to this point, is there anything that you'd do differently?
Without a doubt, I would take my undergraduate work more seriously!

Where would you most like to live (other than where you do now)?
I would love to live in either Grundy or Tama County, Iowa. This is where my family settled in the 1800s, and I have deep roots there. I love the simplicity of life that Iowa affords.

What do you like doing in your spare time?
Among other things, I enjoy amateur photography (see my photo blog: http://the-world-through-a-lens.blogspot.com/), golf, Tolkien lore, and watching the Chicago Cubs. I enjoy doing anything with my family.

What is your most treasured possession?
Right now I’d have to say that it’s my computer, because it’s storing my Ph.D. thesis!

What talent would you most like to have?
I’d like to be able to fly like Superman.

If you could have any three guests, past or present to dinner, who would they be?
Aristotle, the Apostle Peter, and Martin Luther – the conversation would be tempestuously wonderful (For those of you who are wondering, I wouldn’t want to have dinner with Bernard of Clairvaux because he had terrible gastric issues).