By Miguel De La Torre Lately I have been rethinking Judas — history’s ultimate villain. Dante in Canto XXXIV places Judas in the Ninth Circle — the deepest realm of the Inferno. Under his feet are the most evil of…
Strangers among us
Most churches can, and should, do a better job of making sure that visitors feel welcome. Where were these words spoken? 1. “Greetings! How are you today?” 2. “Hello! I’m so very pleased you are with us today. How can…
Easter thinking
By Roger Lovette Every Easter the memory comes back. I had a chance to see the Passion Play in Oberammergau, Germany, several years ago. The play opened with Jesus riding into Jerusalem for the last time. The play ended with…
Jesus, Easter, and the always-awesome “Office Space”
Once, when I worked at a job that had regular staff meetings that I quite abhorred, I found great and sacred solace in the profound film Office Space. How could it not provide a plethora of holy moments? Here, in this…
The war on Easter
As billions of Christians worldwide prepare for Easter this Holy Week, it seems that some television personalities think that our culture is waging a war on Easter. Bill O’Reilly declared on his show that the War on Easter is being waged via…
Overcoming darkness
By Henry Green The complicity of the church in the Nazi policy to annihilate the Jewish race cannot be denied. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said: “The church confesses her timidity, her evasiveness, her dangerous concessions. The church has been untrue to her…
Why is it called Maundy Thursday?
Today is Maundy Thursday — no, not Monday Thursday, which would be an interesting concept: society could work Monday through Thursday, with Fridays off! Some Christians misunderstand that this day is only a “Catholic” celebration. Christians both ancient and modern…
Since it is not 1955, we have to do church different
One of my favorite expressions by a key mentor in my life, Lyle Schaller, relates to what time it is. During the 1990s Lyle often said, as an example, “Next year is 1995. The trouble is that too many congregations…
Saying ‘no’ to violence against women
By Cindy Ring Ruble We live in a world in which one in three women will be raped or beaten in her lifetime. That statistic represents about 1 billion women. Think of three women and girls in your life and…