By Bill Leonard In his 1856 autobiography, Methodist circuit rider Peter Cartwright warned of those Protestants whose “pretense of Divine inspiration” led them to predict a new millennium while playing on the “ignorance, superstition and credulity of the people.” Some,…
American churches: A failure to thrive?
By Bill Leonard Kidshealth.org posts this description of a common cross-generational medical disorder: “Although it’s been recognized for more than a century, failure to thrive lacks a precise definition, in part because it describes a condition rather than a specific…
Educating those we would evangelize
By Bill Leonard In 1833 Lyman Beecher, minister, educator and patriarch of one of America’s most prominent Protestant families, became president of Lane Theological Seminary in Cincinnati, Ohio. Beecher’s move from his native New England was reflected in his essay,…
Educating those we would evangelize
By Bill Leonard In 1833 Lyman Beecher, minister, educator and patriarch of one of America’s most prominent Protestant families, became president of Lane Theological Seminary in Cincinnati, Ohio. Beecher’s move from his native New England was reflected in his essay,…
A Mormon, 2 Catholics and a Protestant go into a homeless shelter
By Bill Leonard Religiously speaking, this presidential election is a fascinating moment in our national life, and for multiple reasons. First, one party nominated a Mormon and a Roman Catholic as president and vice president respectively, the first time in…
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…
Mistaken identity
By Bill Leonard A case of “mistaken identity”– that’s what the authorities called the killings at the Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, Wis., only days after the mass murder of 12 people in a movie theater in Aurora, Colo. Mistaken…
Mistaken identity
By Bill Leonard A case of “mistaken identity”– that’s what the authorities called the killings at the Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, Wis., only days after the mass murder of 12 people in a movie theater in Aurora, Colo. Mistaken…
Mistaken identity
By Bill Leonard A case of “mistaken identity”– that’s what the authorities called the killings at the Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, Wis., only days after the mass murder of 12 people in a movie theater in Aurora, Colo. Mistaken…