By Alan Bean If a random Google search is anything to go by, it was Ralph Waldo Emerson who originated this clever quip, albeit in a slightly altered form: “I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the…
Re-thinking mission for a global church
Editors Note: Steven Porter, announced today as CBF’s new global missions coordinator, unpacked his missiological views in this piece submitted to ABPnews/Herald. We welcome the opportunity to publish it. By D. Steven Porter In September 1931, a 15-member Commission on Appraisal…
Learning to listen
By Greg and Helms Jarrell I am afraid of well-meaning Christians. This is probably because I am one myself, but it is also because I encounter well-intentioned Christians all the time. They have a vision for all the good they…
America’s God-awful perspective on God-absent prayer
By Marv Knox Imagine you’re God, and you care about what happens in Anytown, USA. It’s Tuesday evening, and you’re ready for someone in Anytown to request your guidance over the city council meeting. The mayor calls on the ministerial…
Fifty days to party (and ponder)
By Jeff Harris Even though Marshmallow Peeps and Cadbury Creme Eggs are long gone, it’s still Easter. The church spends 40 days (we call it Lent) preparing for Easter and when it finally arrives, we wear seersucker and hats, consume…
Get back to work
By Russell Waldrop You have just returned to work after some time off and you are standing around the water cooler sharing highlights with your colleagues. During the chitchat, two senior employees approach your group and ask: “Why are you…
No narrative movement makes ‘Heaven Is for Real’ a tough go
By Michael Parnell I went into Heaven Is for Real wanting to like it. The trailer ran on a video loop for several months and I fell for the little boy. But in the final analysis it’s just not that…
Pastors grieve, too
By Bill Nieporte In the last three years, I have conducted funerals for almost 40 percent of the active participants in my congregation. I have also officiated more than a dozen funerals for non- and inactive members. These numbers might…
‘He is risen!’: What does it mean?
By Chuck Queen A florist mixed up two orders on a busy day. One was to go to a new business, the other to a funeral. The next day, the guy with the new business stormed into the shop. “What’s…