Latest Articles
Holy instincts: Beneath the tinsel
Christmas is coming. I know this not because of the weather, which is still balmy, nor the date....
Grace and disruption: Mary’s story
Among my friends and acquaintances, the recent made-for-television movie Mary generated little interest....
Wise teachers, sound teaching: Pastoral presence
In Ephesus, Timothy walked into a congregational mess with the mandate to straighten it out....
Lessons in leadership
Among the congregations I know, two challenges loom especially large for leaders: maintaining a clear focus amid competing agendas, and bringing about needed change when people are resistant or at ...
For grown-ups: Isaiah 52:7-10; John 1:1-14
The first three Sundays of Advent speak of an adult Christ and the future reign of God, not of an infant born in the past....
In my own voice?
"We would like to have you speak in your own voice about what you believe as a Jew or Christian," wrote the editors inviting me to contribute to a volume in which Jews and Christians were to engage...
Palestinian bantustans
Palestinians recognize the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks for what they are: the mopping-up process following a power struggle that Israel won....
Grace and disruption: Mary’s story
Among my friends and acquaintances, the recent made-for-television movie Mary generated little interest....
Holy instincts
Christmas is coming. I know this not because of the weather, which is still balmy, nor the date....
For grown-ups: Isaiah 52:7-10; John 1:1-14
The first three Sundays of Advent speak of an adult Christ and the future reign of God, not of an infant born in the past....
God’s entrance: 2 Samuel 7:1-16; Luke 1:26-38
The angel Gabriel bursts into the life of an ordinary young woman without permission, terrifying her.
Climate change and the unraveling of creation: Taking a global inventory
Ten years ago I wrote a book called The End of Nature, which was the first book for a general audience about the question of global warming. At the time, climate change was a hypothesis....
Mixed message: Jesse Jackson in Decatur
Whether he is taking up the cause of unions, minorities, immigrants or the poor, Jesse Jackson is always on the lookout for dramatic points of conflict that can attract public attention the way tha...
Cuba’s spirited Protestants: Church-growth challenges
The taxi's motor died three times as the driver wound his way around the fallen trees and through the flooded streets of Havana....
Boundary issues
Recently I met someone who had been to South Africa to witness the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission....
Behind the curtain
A climactic moment in The Wizard of Oz is when Toto pulls aside the green curtain, and exposes a man turning levers which he had been using to fool people into thinking he was a wizard....
Stewardship sermon
The Alexian Brothers established Bonaventure House some years ago as a place of refuge, spiritual care and healing of many sorts for people afflicted with AIDS....