Latest Articles
Stories of exile: Children of divorce
The parable of the Prodigal Son is often used to illustrate the gracious and steadfast nature of God’s love....
True purpose
I have always envied people with a spectacular sense of call. I once had a job that involved reading applications for admission to a Methodist seminary....
Paying the piper
He who pays the piper calls the tune. This is reason enough to feel uneasy about the Bush administration’s program to transfer public funds into religious programs. No strings attached?...
Gimme shelter
The Martin Martys of Chicago are friends with the Martin Martys of Zurich, Switzerland. Decades ago the Chicago Martys had the Zurich Martys as house guests....
Easy affirmations: Sunday, March 4 Luke 4:1-13
Lent is the time when we prepare ourselves to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus from death. So why do we begin by thinking about temptations?...
Flying arts
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), directed by Ang LeeYi Yi (2000), directed by Edward Yang...
Faith-based experiment
Let a thousand lawsuits bloom. That’s pretty much what John DiIulio Jr. said after being selected to head President Bush’s new Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives....
Preparing leaders: Wisdom via the Web?
Each week pastors experience exhilarating opportunities and make agonizing decisions. Often the moments of decision erupt unexpectedly. There is no time to prepare....
Nurturing curiosity: A librarian's view
The emergence of the Internet and the World Wide Web as a source of information, a venue for publishing, and a forum for dialogue now defines libraries nearly as much as the more familiar milieu of...
Engaging students
Seminaries that use computers in teaching are often tempted in one of two directions. They either oversell the importance of the technology or underutilize it....
Congregational software
Having worked with dozens of congregations and compared many software packages, the Indianapolis Center for Congregations can offer the following suggestions:...
Computer savvy: Information technology in congregations
Has the advent of the Internet and computer technology led congregations toward the “virtual church,” undermining the face-to-face relationships that have long characterized congregatio...
Getting technical: Information technology in seminaries
A few years ago a technology consultant told a group of seminary deans and presidents that computer-based information technology is like a fast-moving train....
Storming heaven
Not long ago I went to visit my mother at a busy New York hospital where she was recovering from heart-valve surgery....
Off the mountain: Sunday, February 25 Exodus 34:29-35; Psalm 99; 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2; Luke 9:28-43
What did they expect when they set off with Jesus that afternoon? An intimate conversation among the four of them?...
Speedy retribution
In this ecumenical era not only churches but cultures are melding, merging, learning from one another and even transposing and trading their distinctive characteristics....
Connected congregations: Church Web Sites
Churches with Web sites and pastors using e-mail are praising how the electronic media keeps them in touch and enriches congregational life, a recent foundation-funded study discovered....