“You’ve come far, pilgrim,” actor Will Geer’s character, Bear Claw Chris Lapp, says to the younger mountain man who occupies the other side of their shared campfire. “Feels like far,” Jeremiah Johnson replies, the firelight dancing off Robert Redford’s tired…
What will become of Sunday school?
A decade ago, while on a sabbatical research project, I visited 15 churches of various denominations across the United States that bore only one common trait — they were in some way “traditional” churches. Even among that group, one of…
How the male-centered image of God marginalizes women and disabled persons
Many Christians believe all people are made in the image of God. However, this belief is not so simple when you dive into church life and begin to look at how different people are treated based upon their unique physical…
Amid the hypocrisy of critiquing ‘unity,’ maybe we need a different goal: Cooperation
We need to debunk the argument that achieving “unity” means everyone will get their way. That’s not logically possible. This fallacious thinking is emerging as a primary conservative critique of the new administration in Washington, D.C. And once again, it…
Two words, two virtues, to help America move forward
On Inauguration Day evening, I went to bed exhausted with the mix of the day’s emotions. Joy over the beginning of a new administration; relief there had been no violence; and sorrow — sorrow over all the human lives lost…
10 not so good reasons for your congregation to affiliate with a denomination
By George Bullard You may have read my serious post responding to a real question from a real congregation where I provided 10 reasons for a non-denominational congregation to affiliate with a denomination. See it here. Now read my not-so-serious…
The 4 dangers of relevance
In church life, it seems we always desire to be relevant. We want relevant teaching and preaching with practical application. Relevant youth and children’s programs, and even relevant music. There is, however, a danger in always trying to be relevant…
A Blue Christmas Service to grieve together
Life. Death. Birth. Two years ago I went on a forestry tour. I hated it. It was cold, damp, and painfully forgettable – until the end. The forester came out of his professorial role and said, “The reason why forests…
(Re)Imagining Redemption
David Kelsey, Professor of Theology at Yale Divinity School, asks a very simple yet powerful question, “What earthly difference can Jesus make here?” I’m in my sixth year of pastoring. I’ve completed three degrees that carry theological weight. I’ve been…