By Molly T. Marshall As a child, New York City seemed to be “the uttermost parts of the world.” Textbook pictures of the Empire State Building, Times Square, Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty confirmed how important and busy…
The mystery of ordination
By Molly T. Marshall This past Sunday evening I participated in an ordination service for three graduates of our seminary, two women and one man. None was a twenty-something; all had been serving for years in their home church, Metropolitan…
Fearing the ‘other’
By Molly T. Marshall My responsibilities as a seminary president require that I spend an inordinate amount of time in airports and on planes. These venues offer a stimulating opportunity to view humanity in all its richly hued diversity. I…
New wine for the Baptists
By Molly T. Marshall Our attitudes about new things are radically disparate. Some of us love new cars, new shoes, new books, new technology, but get really fearful when we consider new expressions of worship, gathered community, organizational structure and,…
Learning from Mary
By Molly T. Marshall Baptists, and Protestants in general, have not known what to do with the Catholic preoccupation with Mary. We just do not get the nuances of the Immaculate Conception (different from the virginal conception of Jesus) and…
A Buddhist, a Jew and a Christian walk into a room …
By Molly T. Marshall This sounds like the beginning of a bad joke! Variations of the rabbi, priest and pastor combinations usually serve to show perspectival bias and good humor about discrete traditions, especially in the way they are caricatured….
Sighing with the Spirit
By Molly T. Marshall In the weeks following Pentecost, the epistle readings in Romans have focused on what it means to live in the Spirit. For three Sundays in a row, passages from chapter 8 have revealed rich insight. Arguably…
The dead-end of revenge
By Molly T. Marshall The world is reeling once again at the violence between Israelis and Palestinians. Events in the Middle East seem to draw more attention than the ongoing violence in our own land, supported in a structural way…
Treasuring and transcending culture
By Molly T. Marshall “Where are you from?” is one of the most frequent questions posed when getting to know another. Recently, leaders of a local Korean congregation invited me to dinner, a lovely affair that did not require my…