Latest Articles
Truth, lies and the media: Wartime misperceptions
Why, when almost every major denomination on record opposed unilateral U.S. action in Iraq, did most people in the pews support it?...
Pulpit supply: A clergy shortage?
When denominational officials look at the number of empty pulpits in their churches, they worry about a shortage of pastors....
Lay pastors here to stay: Roots in the early church
Eighteen Presbyterian laypersons were recently authorized by the West Virginia Presbytery to conduct services and deliver sermons....
An open heart: God "made hearts one by one"
Cloistered monks and nuns rarely make headlines, especially if they are paragons of the hidden life, but the recent passing of Dame Felicitas Corrigan of Stanbrook Abbey near Worcester, at age 95, ...
Good gaffe: Blush-worthy moments
Is there a Greek word for “embarrassment”? My English biblical concordances have no entry for it. “Shame,” carrying as it does the connotations of guilt, has scores of listings....
Opening act (Luke 1:68-79)
People who introduce themselves as bearing a message from God do not commend themselves to us easily. If we do turn an ear to them out of curiosity, or perhaps out of an amused and sometimes horrified fascination, they tend to wear out their welcome quickly. We have learned only too well that such self-styled messengers of God can carry out deeds of unimaginable ferocity in the name of their particular vision of God.
Night music: Zephaniah 3:14-20; Isaiah 12:2-6 Philippians 4:4-7; Luke 3:7-18
Why are you and I offered this wonderful performance on this Advent Sunday? Because although it may be winter in the realm of nature, it is springtime in the realm of the spirit and of our Christian hearts. We are not far from the fields and caves of Bethlehem. But before we come to them, we need to know that every one of these songs was sung in spite of the times. Knowing this, it is salutary to look once again at the extraordinary joy that bubbles forth.
Opening act
People who introduce themselves as bearing a message from God do not commend themselves to us easily. If we do turn an ear to them out of curiosity, or perhaps out of an amused and sometimes horrified fascination, they tend to wear out their welcome quickly. We have learned only too well that such self-styled messengers of God can carry out deeds of unimaginable ferocity in the name of their particular vision of God.
Lost in translation
The upcoming 400th anniversary of the 1611 publication of the King James Bible has sparked a surge of interest in its origins....
Secular Steeples, by Conrad Ostwalt
More than half a century ago Dietrich Bonhoeffer spoke of a coming "postreligious" era....
Creating True Peace, by Thich Nhat Hanh
The language of necessity, spoken by earnest politicians and faith leaders alike, has saturated public debates about war and peace in this age of terror. Overflowing our nation's pulpits, bul...
Scarred for life
Dating back to his "man with no name" westerns and including his recurring role as Dirty Harry Callahan, Clint Eastwood has embraced projects that rely on his own version of the three R's: remorse,...
Pent-up power (Jeremiah 33:14-16)
The realization that one has enemies, personal or professional, can make one adopt a guarded and self-limiting stance toward life. Yet in Psalm 25, where someone is wrestling with this kind of situation, we see the psalmist reaching out to the one he can trust as not treacherous, to whom he can relate, secure in the knowledge that in God he has a source of steadfast love.
Lofty people: A crowded balcony of saints
The articles in this issue set me pondering the great and significant people in my life. And I recalled a remarkable lecture I heard years ago by the late Carlyle Marney....
Giants in the land? Billy Graham and John Paul II: Billy Graham and John Paul II
Did a politically shrewd and theologically sophisticated Polish pope trigger the collapse of communism?...
Muslims in motion: The liberal side of Islam
Moments before receiving an award at a Muslim dinner last month, Oscar-winning filmmaker Michael Moore turned in his seat to watch, along with nearly 400 other people, some clips from his documen...
Who's great? Billy Graham and John Paul II: Billy Graham and John Paul II
Billy Graham and John Paul II are indisputably great men....
Traveling companions: Friendships that challenge and sustain
As I sat in a South African retreat center, I was struck by the differences between the two church leaders who were speaking....
Patriot acts: Two giants for justice
I was reading some of the many tributes to Palestinian activist and scholar Edward Said, who died on September 25, when a friend called from New York’s Union Theological Seminary....