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Battle scars
It was probably one of those Internet memes that flits about the ether, and gradually enters the aggregate stream of quotes and pop inspiration that we collectively contribute to and maintain. This one, however, had the ring of truth to it. I don’t know the source, but it was something to this effect:
Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.
Vulnerability in the pulpit
I’m not one who has any natural inclination to vulnerability, but the suggestions I read that clergy vulnerability should be exercised in the pulpit of all places really make me cringe. I’ve asked Carol Howard Merritt for her thoughts on vulnerability as an element of clergy self-care.
Episode 3: J. Mary Luti
Matt talks to the retired pastor and professor about Catholic perspectives in Protestant pulpits, moralistic preaching from the left, and what happens when Godzilla shows up in the manger.
Spiritual Companioning, by Angela H. Reed, Richard R. Osmer, and Marcus G. Smucker
The authors of Spiritual Companioning suggest a way forward for those disenchanted with polite, shallow church relationships.
Accidental Saints, by Nadia Bolz-Weber
Readers who found Pastrix to be a long, cool drink will find more refreshment here. Those who have tired of Nadia Bolz-Weber's cranky schtick will tire of it here as well.
Israel’s dreams and nightmares: Author Yossi Klein Halevi
"In the Middle East peace process, the peace was being negotiated by secular elites who lacked the religious language of so many of their people."
Stumbling blocks everywhere
According to Jesus, chances are good that there's not going to be much left of us once we've admitted to just how often stumbling blocks stand in our way. Whether others put them there or we find ways to place them ourselves, they trip us up, keep us from moving forward, get us off track.
What makes you come alive?
“Don’t ask what the world needs,” says Howard Thurman. “Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
This was the guiding quote of a church visioning retreat I led recently.
Fearing evil
It feels to me like evil is hovering over the prison in the form of a government ready to kill a woman who prayed with me when my father was dying of cancer. There isn't a thing I can do about it except pray this psalm and damn if we can't get it right.
Glass Ceilings and Dirt Floors, by Christine Firer Hinze
Hitting a glass ceiling is a metaphor for the experience professional women have of finding subtle obstacles in the way of their advancement....
Pope Francis canonizes, and defends, controversial Spanish missionary
c. 2015 Religion News Service...
Brazil, Peru churches end partnerships with PCUSA over same-sex marriage
Presbyterian churches in Brazil and Peru have broken ties with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) as a result of the U.S....
Words that count
A student I taught with recalls licking honey from Hebrew letters as a child. My own memories of religious education are less auspicious.
Wealthy Gulf states, other nearby nations, respond to Syrian refugees
(The Christian Science Monitor) Wealthy Arab Gulf states have come under increasing scrutiny for their perceived reluctance to open th...
Everett C. Parker, public rights defender in media, dies at 102
Everett C. Parker, former head of the United Church of Christ Office of Communication and an advocate for the public’s rights in broadcasting, died September 17 in White Plains, New York....
Sister Simone Campbell leads another Nuns on the Bus tour
Sister Simone Campbell, executive director of Network, a Catholic social justice lobby, recently led another Nuns on the Bus tour, “Bridge the Divides: Transform Politics.”...
How purity invites fraud
What explains the deep relationship between sex abuse, charlatanism, and religious purity movements? Sarah Posner, writing on the Duggar family and its connections to the world of separatist Christian homeschooling, details not just the accusations of sexual misconduct made against Josh Duggar but also those made against Bill Gothard, the leader of the fundamentalist movement with which the family has long been closely associated.