Features
The pastor as person: Ministry counselor Ross Peterson
"People sometimes come in guarded and defensive. But they want to be understood, and they want to minister well."
Religious violence? The politics of a higher law
Throughout history, people loyal to a higher law have been responsible for much violence. Should we reject appeals to a higher law?
Carbon and compost: Gardening in a time of climate change
There is too much carbon in the atmosphere. What if one of the most compelling responses is to restore the carbon in the ground beneath our feet?
The Craddock Center
Read the main article on Fred Craddock in retirement.
The idea for the Craddock Center began when a Head Start staffer in Ellijay, Georgia, called Cherry Log Christian Church and spoke to Fred Craddock.
“I hear you care about poor people,” she said.
“Well, yes, we do,” Craddock replied.
“I have a woman here with four children, another one on the way, and no place to stay and nothing to eat.”
“I’ll come down.”
The people’s preaching class: Fred Craddock in retirement
Craddock let the word out that he would be available at no charge for preaching and teaching. Only non-seminary graduates should attend.
Books
Baptizing empire
Matthew McCullough argues that the Spanish-American War signaled a crucial turning point in American self-understanding and self-justification.
Medicine and Religion, by Gary B. Ferngren
At the hospital where I work, families may form relationships with pastoral care staff—but they come for our clinical competence in medicine. Gary Ferngren points out how new and odd this is.
A Political Theology of Climate Change, by Michael S. Northcott
Many Americans dismiss climate change reports as fear mongering. Michael Northcott sees the use of apocalyptic imagery differently.
Who’s Afraid of Relativism? by James K. A. Smith
James K. A. Smith suggests that the work of Richard Rorty can be a source of renewal—even though it makes many conservative Christians shrink in horror.
The Soul of the World, by Roger Scruton
Roger Scruton’s basic theme is this: “Science cannot tell who I am, let alone where, when, or how.” But I-you moral dialogue is not rooted in science.
Departments
Shut up and learn
Under Ruben Duran's leadership, the ELCA has started an array of worshiping communities in homes and bars and on the streets and in train stations.
Lone leaders
What goes on in the mind of a leader who tires of building consensus and just strives to get things done?
Christ Driving the Money Lenders from the Temple, by Ippolito Scarsellino (called Scarcella)
This painting of Christ driving the money lenders from the temple, by the Late Renaissance painter Ippolito Scarsellino, depicts a story told in all four Gospels....
Embargoed pensions
Cuban Presbyterians used to be part of the PCUSA, and pastors paid into the pension plan. Then came the Castro revolution.
Locking up kids
Obama's budget includes more money to detain undocumented children. At the largest family detention center, the average child is age six.
Sheepdog or sheep?
Every war movie is in essence a pro-war movie, even when it tries to be against war.
News
Report reveals full history of theologian’s abuse, institutions’ response
A 73-page report in the most recent issue of the Mennonite Quarterly Review provides the first-ever comprehensive and detailed examination of theologian John Howard Yoder’s sexual abuse and the church’s response to it....
Surprise gift largest ever for Pittsburgh seminary
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) received a surprise gift of $20.25 million....
Charles Hard Townes, pioneer in science-religion dialogue, dies at 99
Charles Hard Townes, a Nobel laureate who helped invent the laser and a pioneer in the dialogue on science and religion, died January 27 at age 99....
South Sudan peace unclear as talks leave out clergy, other key stakeholders
While the parties in conflict in South Sudan signed a recent peace agreement, it did not include key stakeholders—faith groups among them—making long-term hopes for peace uncertain....
Breakaway Episcopalians in South Carolina win major court case
The Episcopal Church lost a major court battle on February 3 when a South Carolina judge ruled that the Diocese of South Carolina legally seceded from the denomination and can retain control of $500 million in church property and assets....
China cracks down on Protestants
(The Christian Science Monitor) Prospective Communist Party members in the region of China where Christianity is growing the fastest must renounce religious belief, and current party m...
England debates legalizing in vitro technique giving baby DNA of three parents
England could become the first country to allow the creation of human embryos from the DNA of three people to try to eradicate a type of genetic disease that has caused the deaths of thousands of babies....
Steve Hayner, seminary president and leader in campus ministry, dies at 66
Stephen A. Hayner, 66, president emeritus of Columbia Theological Seminary and a national leader in campus ministry, died January 31 in Decatur, Georgia, less than a year after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer....
Ugandan Anglican bishop defends rebel commander accused of war crimes
In its heyday, the Ugandan rebel force known as the Lord’s Resistance Army was accused of killing more than 100,000 people, abducting 60,000 to 100,000 children, and displacing more than 2.5 million civilians....
Richard McBrien, outspoken liberal theologian and Notre Dame scholar, dies at 78
Richard McBrien, 78, a theologian at the University of Notre Dame and liberal commentator, died January 25. He had been in poor health for several years....
In Israeli election, ultra-Orthodox women push to be on party lists
(The Christian Science Monitor) A group of determined ultra-Orthodox women are rejecting the male monopoly on politics in their community as, for the first time, they press to be repre...
Lectionary
March 15, 2015, Fourth Sunday in Lent (John 3:14-21)
The binary world of John’s Gospel is well drawn in Jesus’ talk here. How could a God of love condemn people? What does it mean to be in darkness?
March 8, 2015, Third Sunday in Lent: John 2:13-22
When the disciples try to explain Jesus’ wrath, they quote Psalm 69:9, “Zeal for your house has consumed me.” John neglects to include the verse just before it, however.