An ancient tension in Christian discipleship often trips us up. Are we capable of doing what God asks us to do? If we are, why do we not follow the divine guidance more? This debate is as old as Augustine…
Why churches and Christian nonprofits need entrepreneurs
Read any current text on leadership and you will encounter the urgency of entrepreneurial thinking. As we move into a progressively unpredictable atmosphere, traditional incremental approaches are not cutting it. Ian C. MacMillan, director of Wharton’s Sol. C. Snider Entrepreneurial…
The wisdom of admitting failure
Recently a professor at Princeton wrote about his professional disappointments and went so far as to publish a “CV of failures.” He bravely posted degree programs he did not get into and academic positions for which he was rejected. He…
The ecstasy of God’s inner life is the model for human community
We seem to sing it better than we conceptualize it. We can muster a hearty rendering of “Holy, Holy, Holy,” probably pondering more about the “early in the morning” wording than the theological verities. I am speaking of the blessed…
Where is Jesus? Exploring what the ascension means in our time
I had the opportunity to teach Sunday school on Ascension Sunday in my Jubilee Class at Prairie Baptist, where they manage to keep me on the roll despite my frequent absences! The celebration of ascension is sorely neglected in the…
Prairie burning and new life
On a recent road trip through southern Kansas, I witnessed a spring rite, the burning of the prairie. The billowing smoke and red glow of distant fires are quite the vista — and a sign of renewal. The distinctive smell…
Works — the fitting response to God’s lavish grace
Have you considered what you want on your tombstone? The husband of a close friend said she would have these words, “I am fine, really!” Mine will probably be inscribed with a limerick: Here lies the theologian named Molly T.,…
Practicing resurrection with a new vocabulary
It is a well-known line from Wendell Berry’s Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front: “Be like the fox who makes more tracks than necessary, some in the wrong direction. Practice resurrection.” I have been thinking about this enigmatic statement as…
When religion turns hateful, it loses its moral voice
In this craziest of presidential primary seasons, I have not mentioned the Republican candidate with the “best plumage,” the colorful description offered by Marilynne Robinson. I have found his words so offensive, his narcissism so egregious, and his attitude toward…
Where is interfaith dialogue going?
Globalization and world religions, interlocking realities in our day, place the great faiths of the world in ever closer proximity. Incidences of violence, done in the name of religion, prompt questions about whether religion is a dangerous force to be…
Leaving a legacy
A significant legacy requires a lifetime of paying attention to God, to others and to the shape of one’s commitments. I was in San Antonio when the news of Buckner Fanning’s death broke. Television stations and newspapers reported expansively on…
Desperate for the Holy
For many, there is great difficulty in getting into God’s presence. Faculty meetings at my seminary begin with worship, with different faculty members bringing forth treasure from their own disciplines. More interesting than the presidential report, to be sure, it…