Putin’s war machine understands the power of faith and has deliberately sought to destroy Ukrainian churches. Both sides have relied upon Christian themes during the fighting — Putin to justify the unjustifiable and Zelensky to inspire the Ukrainian nation to stand firm in the…
The power of a book: Why I’m a street evangelist
“What does a street evangelist do?” In the years since I have self-proclaimed myself to be a street evangelist, that is what people want to know. The answer is simple: “I talk with people.” Now I’ve written a book that…
Sing of your faith, sing for your health
The following piece is written in dialogue between Paula Mangum Sheridan and Beverly Howard. The initials PS indicate Paula’s words, while the initials BH indicate Beverly’s words. PS: During my junior year of college, I interned as a social work student at…
In praise of billiards: A tool for ministry
When I was in my early sixties, my mother moved into an adult retirement community not far from our home. There she took up the game of pool. Every afternoon, she and a group of women played doubles. She became…
Some words I’m working to adjust in my vocabulary this year
On New Year’s Eve, Lake Superior State University released its annual list of English-language words and phrases that should be banished in 2023 because they are overused and trite. Please don’t call this list the Greatest of All Time or…
Seven things to unlearn and learn this year
I don’t recall where I first heard the phrase. Perhaps it was Father Richard Rohr in Breathing Under Water. He wrote: “All mature spirituality, in one sense or another, is about letting go and unlearning.” Several years ago, the ministerial…
Pantyhose, purity and the theological implications of the Virgin Mary
I recently attended the funeral of a beloved man and a darn good deacon. The morning of the service was wet with a crisp winter chill. Of course, my pre-COVID funeral suit doesn’t fit, so my only semi-solemn option was…
Where God is: Preaching the hard truths about change
Last fall on the second Sunday of Advent, I preached a sermon at the American Cathedral in Paris on change, our fear of change, the difficulties of change. And on race. It was a pretty typical sermon for Advent, that…
Remembering the theologian who became pope
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who died on the morning of Dec. 31 at the age of 95, leaves a legacy that will be the subject of intense discussion and debate for decades to come. In the hours that followed the…
The story of Tamar and the epidemic of sexual violence in evangelical churches
Susan Shaw recently wrote an article for BNG titled “The Abusers in the Pews,” discussing how sexual violence runs rampant in Christian churches. She explained that churches rarely actively engage in the work needed to achieve gender justice, perpetuating the…
Jesus and Muslim students at prayer
Jesus took a whip and drove the money changers from the temple. This doesn’t suggest he would have interrupted Muslim students at prayer. A teacher at Franklin Academy Charter School in Pembroke Pines, Fla., however, interrupted Muslim students during prayer…
Will you take The Truman Challenge in 2023?
American presidents must be prepared to respond to whatever questions might arise at a press conference. Presidents have answered or dodged difficult questions, or snapped, “No comment. Next question!” In a 1949 press conference, Harry Truman made clear that as…