By Starlette McNeill Race. The mere mentioning of the word reveals our unpreparedness, inexperience, awkwardness. Race has been with us for hundreds of years, yet we still don’t know what to say about it — though we are clear on…
Why do we have all these church programs?
My colleagues hate it when I read, especially something that isn’t religious, theological or churchy! For instance, when I read Googled: The End of the World as We Know It I ended up in a conference in California, and we…
‘The Theory of Everything’ offers unflinching view of marriage
Relationships are hard. Forces at work within them bring stress and strain, making it difficult for relationships to work and last. Add that stress and strain to an incurable disease and you have the formula for the docudrama, The Theory…
Advent: Jesus’ DNA?
By Bill Leonard “What was Jesus’ DNA?” That’s a question my Wake Forest University colleague, physics professor Jed Macosko, says someone once asked him. Macosko mentioned it while concluding a superb lecture on DNA, Darwinism and evolution offered in the…
Race, Ferguson, and Youth Ministry
There are important conversations happening now in American about race. Since I’m a student minister, I’ve been thinking about my students and how this conversation needs to include them. So, how do I talk with teenagers about something as big…
5 Things I’ve Learned in 5 Weeks Out of Church
Consider this official. I am issuing an apology to every member of every church that I have served over the last 20+ years. Two weeks ago, we set a personal record that I never thought I would reach. We hit…
Jesus, Superheroes, & Advent
No question. We have become obsessed with superheroes. In the next few years there is expected to be over 30 superhero movies directed, produced, and released to a general public who cannot get enough of seeing their favorite comic book…
Dear Evangelicals: You’re Being Had
by Jay Michaelson Dear Evangelicals: You’re Being Had
When It Comes to Congregational Vision May You Be With the Source
“We need to get a new pastor who will bring us vision and get us moving in the right direction”, or something similar, is the number one statement I hear from lay leaders of congregations during the transition from one…
Sigh. It’s that time of year again.
By Amy Butler If your family is anything like mine, you probably recently engaged in the annual Thanksgiving tradition of sharing some things for which we are each thankful. It can be a tradition that lessens in meaning with its…
Christmas Ornaments
For the first three years after my Father died, my Mother refused to put up a Christmas tree. Christmas had been a beloved holiday for both my parents, and my Father spent countless hours each year setting up the Snow…
Advent: A Time to Slow Down and Listen Up
The long lines of Black Friday have finally gone down but the blitz of the hyper-commercialized holiday season is just revving up. This period of time from Thanksgiving to Christmas has become the “busy” season. There are trees to decorate,…