By Thomas Whitley If you’ve followed the election coverage much over the past year, you may have realized how absent Mitt Romney’s faith was from the national conversation. This marked a big shift from his 2008 bid when his Republican…
Romney’s faith on display at RNC
By Thomas Whitley If you’ve followed the election coverage much over the past year you may have realized how absent Mitt Romney’s faith was from the national conversation. This marked a big shift from his 2008 bid when his Republican…
Live, from the DNC
The eyes of the world are on Charlotte, or so we are told. The Democratic National Convention is in town to nominate President Obama as their candidate for president. Credentials have been issued for 15,000 journailsts. CNN, MSNBC, C-Span, all…
“. . . as you love yourself.”
If Jesus were pastoring in a mainline, Protestant church today, and were asked the same question scribes and scholars ask in Mark 12.28-31 (What is the greatest commandment?), I think he’d omit the “. . . as you love yourself”…
First take on Romney’s convention speech
By David Gushee What follows is an interpretation of Mitt Romney’s Republican National Convention speech on Thursday night, penned just after the event, without benefit (or harm) from listening to any pundit or reading any news stories. I will do…
Think attendance in your church is declining? Think Again
Some eyewitnesses claim the attendance in their congregations is declining. This may be true. In some cases, however, congregations do not know how to count. If you think attendance in your congregation is really declining, I invite you to think…
The gospel of poverty
By Bill Leonard “The problem of our age is the administration of wealth, so that the ties of brotherhood may still bind together the rich and poor in harmonious relationship…. The contrast between the palace of the millionaire and the…
‘Love Your Neighbor with Your Vote’
We don’t put out political yard signs at our house. For 21 years as a journalist, I could not take a publicly partisan stand on political matters. And now as a pastor, I should not take a public partisan stand….
When the cavalry doesn’t come
By Bill Wilson A seasoned minister was addressing a group of young clergy and talking about some of the lessons learned on the job — the kind you can’t learn in graduate school or from a book. These are the…
When the cavalry doesn’t come
By Bill Wilson A seasoned minister was addressing a group of young clergy and talking about some of the lessons learned on the job — the kind you can’t learn in graduate school or from a book. These are the…
Can corporations walk the aisle?
As the race for the White House heats up with Paul Ryan’s Republican VP nod, questions concerning corporate political involvement remain. Crucial to the debate around corporate political funding are two words: Citizens United. They refer to the landmark, 2010…
Intergenerational mission
Randy Shepley What is your favorite church or denominational buzz word or phrase? There are so many: missional, free and faithful, purpose driven, emergent, traditional, contemporary. When overused, buzz words can begin to lose their meaning. Take, for example, one…