By George Bullard In recent times we have witnessed a dialogue around the role and function of seminaries. This dialogue has been generated primarily by people involved in seminaries, divinity schools and other forms of higher education. Thus, their perspective….
Before we say, ‘I forgive you’
By Starlette McNeill I am in a place that I had not anticipated and certainly could not have prepared for. It is the same feeling that I had after the shooting of nine bowed heads at Mother Emmanuel AME Church…
How seminaries form ministers: a much-needed conversation
By Scott Hudgins A recent column by Brett Younger, an associate professor at Mercer University’s McAfee School of Theology, raises important questions about the changes in theological education, especially the emergence of exclusively online programs that are often described as…
Apologies
By Bill Leonard In an essay posted on Christianhistory.net on July 1, 2007, Scott Manetsch writes: “Before dawn on the morning of August 24, 1572, church bells tolled in the Saint-Germain l’Auxerrois quarter of Paris. Just moments earlier, soldiers under…
Vision casting is the responsibility of all congregational leaders
By George Bullard Matt Carswell, pastor of Mountain View Church, is a gifted preacher and a warm, caring pastor. Spiritual formation through worship and in-depth pastoral care are places where he excels. He is loved by his congregation. At the…
The downside of diversity
By Amy Butler For some time I’ve been of the conviction that cultivating diverse communities of faith is critical to living the gospel. Some tell me creating a diverse community is just not a reality for their church; the community…
Seminaries forging a future
By Ron Crawford A response to “Seminaries reluctantly selling their souls,” by Brett Younger. So, I bought the microwave oven anyway! Typically, my wife and I reach a consensus before we make major purchases; in the early 1980s a microwave…
Now thank we all our God
By Scott Dickison It was around the year 1636, in the town of Eilenburg, in present day Germany, during what is now known as the Thirty Years’ War — the longest and what many believe is still the most destructive…
Thankful for praying communities
By Nora O. Lozano La versión en español está disponible aquí. As we approach Thanksgiving, Christmas and the end of the year, I normally start reflecting on the year and the major events that happened. This year has brought its…
Agradecida por las comunidades de oración
Nora O. LozanoTraducido por Cristina Rodríguez Alejandro An English version is available here. A medida que nos acercamos al Día de Acción de Gracias, a Navidad y al fin de año, regularmente comienzo a reflexionar en el año y en…
Seminaries reluctantly selling their souls
By Brett Younger When I was 16, I inexplicably got a job as a mechanic. I was assigned to tires and batteries — the kindergarten of the automotive world. Even in the department in which I could do the least…
We can make it on the broken pieces
By LeDayne McLeese Polaski It was hot in the church that steamy New Orleans night, but the members of the congregation were far more focused on the fact that this was their first revival since Hurricane Katrina — a significant…