By Bill Wilson There is a revolution taking place in the way traditional congregations hire, manage and compensate their staff. Some of it is healthy and overdue, some of it is painful and short-sighted. As traditional congregations entered the 21st…
No news, bad news
By David Gushee Thinking it’s been a while since I wrote about public policy, I remembered why: no one in Washington is actually making public policy right now. A more precise way to say it is the legislative branch of…
‘The Avengers’ works for critics, fans
By Noel Manning It is rare when a superhero film can appeal to critics and comic-book fans alike, but The Avengers finds a way to do it. Some films transcend genre and are true art. Yet others take audiences into…
For cause of conscience
By Bill Leonard In 1611, as they prepared to leave Amsterdam and return to England, members of the earliest Baptist congregation wrote a confession of faith, asserting that when members of the Body of Christ “come together” they “may and…
Remember infertility on Mother’s Day
By Erica Cooper Teenagers will yield to sitting with their families during the church service, instead of in the balcony. Pastors will lead congregations in special litanies and deliver sermons with exceptional titles such as “The Ideal Woman” or “Parenting…
Torturing the enemy, destroying ourselves
By Brian McLaren A growing list of former U.S. government officials, including a president and a vice president, have been working hard to repeat the lie that torture is justifiable as long as the right “we” is doing the torture,…
Osama bin Laden, one year later
By Jim Denison Bin Laden dreamed of blowing up oil tankers, hoping to devastate the global economy. He was not informed in advance of the attempted bombing of Times Square in May 2010, and was skeptical of Anwar al-Awlaki’s work…
It will get better
By Elizabeth Evans Hagan It’s that time of year. Bright-eyed and empowered seminary students are completing their last papers, picking up their caps and gowns and saying goodbye to the hallowed walls of their theological training institution. For many, their…
Street-side prayer
By Amy Butler As a pastor, I have plenty occasion to pray, both in formal expressions like Sunday morning worship and the many casual occasions when someone says off-hand, “Let’s ask Amy to pray for us; she’s a pastor!” So…
Mom, Dad, I love you. Stop fighting.
By Laura Rector Divorce hurts children. My grandparents’ divorce still hurts their children and their grandchildren to this day — even though both have been dead for years. Certainly, the pain has lessened in time, but the wound is still…
A family conversation, part 2
By David Gushee #1 The conference presupposes that there is such a thing as the Church, which is not the same as the State or the Culture, and that the Church is (something like) that community of human beings who…
Show death penalty the door
By Jimmy Carter For many reasons, it is time for Georgia and other states to abolish the death penalty. A recent poll showed that 61 percent of Americans would choose a punishment other than the death penalty for murder. Also,…