Latest Articles
High fidelity: Dogged devotion
I live in the north country mountains, where winter begins in late October and gives up, some years, in early May....
Love letter: To Harriet
Dear Harriet: After we cried over the recent death of one of our heroes and friends, John Tietjen of (Lutheran) Seminex days, we also smiled to read that at the 50th anniversary of his ordination, ...
On the wild side: Isaiah 43:16-21
Isaiah knew his congregation. His word from the Lord spoke into the chaos and confusion of a people who had suffered not only a disruption of life, but also a disrupted understanding of God. Their cherished expectations of what it meant to be the covenant people had crumbled along with the destroyed Jerusalem. God had allowed this destruction of their naïve theology, and now they were exiled from both the land and the notion that God would protect them. It was this befuddled congregation that assembled to hear Isaiah’s sermons.
It's in the details: Luke 19:28-40; Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
Life is details—phones that keep ringing, e-mail that has to be returned, computers that crash, copy machines that jam, and children who are sick when we need to be at work. We struggle with the details of bodies that don’t work as they should, with doctors, specialists, medical tests and pills. Our children juggle homework, athletics, orthodontists and piano lessons. Then we all go to church on Sunday, and what do we find but more details?
Crowd control: A critique of The Passion of the Christ
Every version of the Passion story deviates fundamentally from the New Testament, which contains four divergent Gospels rather than one conflated version....
Habits for young hearts
When I began working in youth ministry in the late 1970s, the word “discipleship” was everywhere....
City: Urbanism and Its End
Some city dwellers still remember porch-sitting and leisurely walks to the corner store for ice cream....
Simply put: Christ's mission in 75 words or less
A good friend of mine dropped out of seminary, entered the business world, became a successful executive recruiter and migrated finally to management consulting, at which he is an expert....
SBC leaves alliance, may drop "Southern" Plans for a new international network of conservative Christians: Plans for a new international network of conservative Christians
As “a network of churches that circle the planet,” the Southern Baptist Convention must consider changing its name to “reflect who we are and what we are doing nationally and internationally,” SBC ...
Christians counter The Da Vinci Code: An opportunity to debate church history
As The Da Vinci Code, the fast-paced thriller by novelist Dan Brown, marks nearly a year atop the New York Times best-seller list, critics have staged a counteroffensive. ...
Giving from Episcopal dioceses dips 7 percent: Possible fallout from Robinson ordination
The Episcopal Church has seen a 7 percent drop in contributions from local dioceses since it voted last year to approve an openly gay bishop, but officials say it may be premature to link the two d...
British Anglicans unmoved on gay issues: Same-sex relationships tolerated among laity but not clergy
The Church of England’s governing General Synod has voiced strong support for greater acceptance of homosexuals, but the church’s official stance—of tolerating gay relationships among the laity but...
Scholars still debate who crucified Jesus: The Roman or Jewish authorities
Moviegoers who see The Passion of the Christ may go home confident they know who killed Jesus and why. If only the experts could feel so sure....
Most take Bible stories literally: An ABC News poll
Most Americans have a literal understanding of biblical stories such as Moses parting the Red Sea, says an ABC News poll that also showed the vast majority do not blame Jews for the death of Jesus....