Wendell Berry has effectively stirred the pot. In my homestate, Kentucky, at my alma mater, Georgetown College, Berry spoke about gay marriage. He spoke to the cultural palpitations revealing a diseased spirit. It’s a spirit steeped in hate, and maligned…
Overlooking Joshua
By Miguel De La Torre Among Christians, one of the most powerful biblical stories is the Exodus, where God enters history and guides God’s chosen people toward the Promised Land. The trek of former slaves toward liberation resonates with many…
Robert Griffin III, the Redskins and dying churches
It was awful. It was embarrassing. I couldn’t watch it anymore. My team, the Washington Redskins had started a good fight against the Seattle Seahawks on a recent Sunday night football. The Redskins came out strong and scored 14 points…
MLK and Mrs. Robertson
By Roger Lovette When any of us move from one place to another we take with us memories that don’t always fit into a suitcase. As we come to remember Dr. King on his birthday, I recall a Birmingham memory…
Reject conflict. Skip compromise. Embrace collaboration.
I grow tired of hearing politicians talk about achieving common ground without ever seeming to make real progress. I hear people from various political perspectives talk about achieving common ground while acting uncompromising about their positions that actually seem to…
Remembering our ‘rememberable’ baptisms
Many churches celebrate the feast of the Baptism of the Lord on the Sunday following Epiphany (January 6). Since Epiphany falls on Sunday in 2013, this year the Baptism of the Lord is celebrated on January 13. This feast is…
Sowing virtue
By Molly T. Marshall I am spending a week with our seminary students at a Benedictine monastery in northwest Missouri. Not only do we participate in prayer with the monks five times a day, we also study the ancient Rule…
A pastor’s life
By Amy Butler The start of the New Year is always a good time to ponder the deeper issues of life, and lately I’ve been ruminating over whether being a pastor and having a life are two mutually exclusive ideas….
Perspectives on immigration – the influence of religion
As a native of Florida, there is a certain pride and frustration present in a bumper-sticker message we natives desire to send to the many seasonal residents of the sunshine state. The message is simple and straight-forward, “Welcome to Florida,…