Latest Articles
Peace wish
This week's Living by the Word column focuses on the story of the healing of Naaman the Aramean, one of the most dramatic healing stories in the Bible. But here I want to blog about a small detail of that story as it relates to the other lessons.
Monday digest
New today from the Century: Doug Rossinow on why Occupy failed, Kathy Grieb blogs the lectionary, more.
Transforming Church Conflict, by Deborah Van Deusen Hunsinger and Theresa F. Latini
Conflict can be destructive, constructive or even transformative depending on how leaders respond to it....
Sustaining a resource
My hope is that those of us who rely on the Century today will create the financial strength to guarantee that there will be a Century in the future.
Obama issues final rules on contraceptive exemption
The Obama administration has issued final rules for religious groups for its controversial contraception mandate, maintaining its position on who qualifies for religious exemption and allowing no c...
Surprised by volunteers
Two weeks ago, I was in my office getting ready for worship when a church member stopped by with a cherry tomato. A small, single tomato, which he handed to me....
It was bound to happen
Yes, I’m the pastor. Yes, I’ve been praying the prayer since childhood. Yes, I lead the prayer every Sunday.
Still, it was bound to happen....
Friday digest
New today from the Century: John Buchanan on sustaining the Century, Lee Hull Moses on being surprised by volunteers, more.
Divine Vintage, by Randall Heskett and Joel Butler
Wine was a major economic resource in the Near East and the Mediterranean world; in times of war, vineyards would be one of the first areas attacked by enemies to undermine the economy....
Christians in exile: Syrians take refuge in Lebanon
Syrian refugees have fled to Lebanon in massive numbers. The situation threatens to overwhelm a country already struggling to maintain a delicate peace.
My country ’tis of thee: Evangelicals score highest on patriotism
c. 2013 Religion News Service...
Fights over gay marriage are just getting started
The Supreme Court decisions on gay marriage, while historic, didn’t settle the issue. In fact, they fuel it....
Layers of faith
In the ancient city of Laodicea in western Turkey, site of the church reprimanded in the book of Revelation for being “neither cold nor hot,” our guide led us across the old agora to a p...
Three names for God
In Vacation Bible School you don’t simply tell Bible stories, you inhabit them. This is the greatest share of the work, creating visual spaces where children can experience a Bible story....
Thursday digest
New today from the Century: Melissa Tabeek on Syrian Christian refugees in Lebanon, David Heim on layers of faith in Turkey, more.
Flying out over Boston
My wife and I are flying out today, over Boston, the city where marriage equality got its start. We are flying out over Old South Church, the place where we were married. We are flying into California, a place where yesterday morning our marriage wasn’t legal. And we are flying to General Synod, the biannual meeting of the United Church of Christ, the church that recognized our marriage before the federal government ever did.
Security at what cost? When safety is an idol
In our political climate, security enjoys a peculiar status: it’s an absolute priority, subject to little scrutiny or cost-benefit analysis.
Gay-friendly trend washes over court
Sometimes a court opinion is more than just a court opinion....
Seeing the light
Based on my own entirely unscientific observations, it seems that there is a burgeoning market for “recovering pastor who saw the godless light” stories these days. The genre is familiar enough by now, right?
Moral campers
It begins in February. Parents scour websites in the often-competitive sport of hunting for summer camp options. The goal is to keep our children happy, occupied and perhaps even learning something during the long summer.
Summer camps are a relatively new invention, introduced in the early 20th century.