When Jesus encounters Pilate, John’s Gospel tells us that Jesus declares he came into the world to testify to the truth. Pilate replies, “What is truth?” Merchants of Doubt poses this question to us. On the surface it may look…
The essential three s’s for your next church building
Stop! Before you build that new Structure or do major retrofitting of existing space, be sure you have answers to the first two of the three S’s for your next church building. Structure is the third S and should not…
The sunny side of our gray forecast
By John Chandler Since 1840, global human life expectancy at birth has risen about three months with each passing year. A century ago, Americans were expected to live until age 47; now, newborns are pegged for 79 years. If life…
One of the worst verses we sell our youth
“You know that line, the line where they tell you anything is possible. You can do anything you want when you grow up…it’s a lie.” I have had the conversation multiple times with youth and young adults. I’ve had it…
Christ’s body camera
By Starlette McNeill The season of Lent is over, but I am still thinking about Christ’s body. In last month’s column, I considered “Christ’s Body image” and thanks to a 24-hour news cycle and minute-by-minute social media updates, we are…
Think twice before you leave the traditional church
So you’re thinking about leaving the traditional church where you were raised and heading for the big-box megachurch down the way because your kids like the music? You’re not alone. This is happening all across America, not only in major…
Surrogates of the gospel
By Bill Leonard Gardner C. Taylor died on Easter Sunday 2015. Those who knew him weren’t surprised that as one friend said, “he held on till Easter.” Taylor, a spiritual icon inside and beyond the African-American community, was civil rights…
Rediscovering the space in which can God show up
By Amy Butler “From the sublime to the ridiculous is but a step.” I’m pretty sure James Joyce wasn’t thinking of the minister’s experience of Holy Week when he wrote that sentence filled with deep and resounding truth, but any…
Setting the table
By Scott Dickison With the arrival of our first son about a year and a half ago, my wife and I have been more intentional about creating our own family holiday traditions. So last Easter, our first together as a…
Who’s really discriminating here?
Discrimination is a funny word. We hear it thrown around a lot today so it’s worth taking a minute and reflecting on what exactly it means. At the most basic level, discrimination is simply the process of choosing one thing…
A tribute to Dean Alan Culpepper: The man and the myth
By Brett Younger For four years at the Mercer Preaching Consultation, Alan Culpepper and I have led a discussion on each year’s Advent texts. The first year I compared us to Simon and Garfunkel. The dean responded that it was…
What is the direction and diversity of collaboration among Christian Ministries?
Building on the foundation of two earlier articles, let’s now address the direction and diversity of collaboration. The first article was Compete or Collaborate: The Dilemmas for Christian Ministries, and the second was Critical Understanding About Collaboration for Christian Ministries….