William H. Willimon
Christian Preaching: A Trinitarian Theology of Proclamation
Contemporary Christian homiletics has taken a wrong turn. Reaching out to speak to the world, we fell in—face down....
Blogging toward Sunday
In this Sunday’s gospel, Jesus begins with the comforting word: “Do not be afraid!” Elsewhere, he has told us not to be afraid in the middle of a raging storm, or in the dark of night, or when he c...
Blogging toward Sunday
As a woman was leaving church, she whispered to her pastor, “Do you have some time for me to talk with you about a matter of concern?”
“What’s the problem?” he asked abruptly.
...Blogging toward Sunday
Jesus was praying one day when his disciples interrupted him, begging, “Teach us to pray like John taught his disciples.”
...Blogging toward Sunday
The gospel gets domestic as Jesus—who is homeless, without a job, traveling from place to place, and looking for a free meal—intrudes into the home of two unmarried women.
...Blogging toward Sunday
God promises the people of Israel that he will not “pass them by.” At the same time, God sets a plumb line against Israel, using a divine standard to measure the fidelity of God’s people....
Evangelism After Christendom
Bryan Stone’s Evangelism after Christendom is a remarkable book that was about 30 years in the...
Blogging toward Sunday
It seems strange to be reading a tough text like Luke 9:51-62 during the gentle days of early summer. Most of our congregations are in relaxed, vacation mode....
Charms of an ideologue: Jerry Falwell at Duke
"Did you ever meet Jerry Falwell?” someone asked me the day Falwell died. “Meet him? Jerry nearly got me fired,” I responded.
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The Castle in the Forest: A Novel
One of my favorite books is Mikhail Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita, a wild, imaginative, vicious satire about Stalinist Russia in pa...
Manger politics: The Nativity Story
So where does Jesus ever say, “I’m the Son of God”? My cabdriver was pressing me as we careened through the streets of Birmingham on the way to the airport....
Adventures in ministry: A trinitarian perspective: Excerpts from the 8th Annual Christian Century Lectureby William Willimon
“The greatest joy of the pastoral ministry is service to a God who is as demanding and disruptive, as unbalanced and relentlessly loving as the Trinity.”
Arsonists at play: Church burnings in Alabama
The reign of terror against rural Alabama churches appears to be over....
First-year bishop: Dispatch from Birmingham
On my last Sunday in Duke Chapel, after I’d preached to a full church and received a standing ovation after my sermon, a sophomore came up to me and said, “Thanks for abandoning us....
Recreational sex
Tom Wolfe may deny that his novel is about Duke, but having spent 20 years there I know a few things about the school....
Teaching moments: Hard truths
Whatever you do, for God’s sake don’t ask a question in class, that really makes Holmer mad,” said the older, wiser graduate student....
Arguing with Muslims: God-talk on campus
A while back a Duke student was telling me that he and his roommate were not getting along well. I asked him why. “Because he is a Muslim and I’m not.” I asked him how that made a difference.
...Faithful to the script: John's Gospel on film
In 1964 the Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini created a new mode of presenting Jesus in film. His The Gospel according to St....