Latest Articles
Mary says yes: Luke 1:26-38, 47-55
At Christmas even the most Protestant among us can be drawn to the contemplation of Mary. It seems right to recall her humble courage, her receiving and carrying and giving birth, and her joy as she sang of the saving work of God.
What we fear
Have our security measures cast out our fears? Or have they only diminished our capacity for love?
The signs on Michigan Avenue: A change of heart about the commercialization of Christmas
The church I serve is located in the midst of one of the busiest retail merchandizing areas in the country. Our closest neighbors are Bloomingdale’s, Marshall Field and Lord & Taylor....
Protestantism, American style
America's God: From Jonathan Edwards to Abraham Lincoln. By Mark A. Noll. Oxford University Press, 602 pp., $35.00....
My Brother's Keeper, by Mary Stewart Van Leeuwen
When women get together and talk turns to the topic of men, it's not uncommon for the conversation to end with someone saying, "Men!" in a certain tone of voice, while another adds, "Men are idiots...
Buddhism, by Donald W. Mitchell
Newcomers to the Buddhist tradition are often bewildered by the sheer variety of often contradictory perspectives and approaches....
Experimental Americans, by George L. Hicks
In the 19th century, Alexis de Tocqueville praised the American ability to balance individual and community identities....
Transforming the City, by Eldin Villafane
Thumbnail sketches of six pioneering efforts to bridge the gap between traditional seminary programs and the needs of leaders in multiethnic urban communities open this book....
The ties that bind
If you knew what was going to happen to you in the morning, you'd never get out of bed," declares Phil (Timothy Spall) early in Mike Leigh's All or Nothing. Phil, a cabbie, does have a har...
Trapped in the '50's
To understand and appreciate the revisionist genius behind Far from Heaven, directed by Todd Haynes, one needs to appreciate the cinematic impact of Douglas Sirk (1900-1987), a direc...
Stammering praise: In good and not-so-good times
When I was a youngster my parents always took me to community Thanksgiving services. I was an unwilling and unhappy participant....
Good news: Sharing the gospel is easier than you think
Only 15 percent of American congregations have grown by even one person in the last five years, according to the Parish Paper newsletter....
Stopping traffic: What would Jesus drive?
Pastor Jim Ball has a message for car buyers. “Most people don’t think the kind of car they drive has anything to do with their faith....
Musical lives: Don and Emily Saliers on the religious power of song
Don Saliers holds the William R. Cannon Distinguished Chair in Theology and Worship at Emory University and directs the Masters of Sacred Music Program....
Way of life: Intentional reflection on the life of faith
From this theologian’s perspective, the central challenge for pastoral ministry today concerns the most important mark of good ministry: the ability effectively to mediate faith as an integral way ...
Into the niche: Targeted marketing
One of my classmates 50-plus years ago first taught me about niche marketing. A professor who monitored field work and internships wanted us to be modern....
On your mark: Mark 1:1-8
In my Swedish childhood, the signature image of Advent was Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
Back to the future: Fourth-century style reaches Bay Area seekers
A half hour before the Sunday morning service begins, St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church in San Francisco already displays the holy chaos that characterizes its worship....
It’s all relative?
This useful, engaging and distressing book by Louis Menand won the Pulitzer Prize for history in 2002....