Anthony B. Robinson
Dark night of the church: Relearning the essentials
Maybe what sociologists call mainline decline is God pulling us away from external things so we can rediscover our union with God in love.
Les enfants magnifiques
Beneath the many contrasts Pamela Druckerman draws between French and U.S. children is a deeper one between the two societies.
How to follow the leader: Five habits of healthy congregations
Following doesn't command the interest that leading does. But following is crucial.
Caregivers’ calling
My father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's at age 80.
Had I read these three new books, I might have been more helpful to him in that difficult moment.
Praise God. For the rest of us, feedback.
Maybe it’s part of our “have a nice day,” smiley-face culture, but these days it seems that praise is tossed around as lavishly as dandelions in the spring grass....
What do the bylaws say? Order and disorder in the church: Order and disorder in the church
Congregations that pay little heed to their bylaws are often in a state
of perpetual crisis, chronic conflict and steady decline.
How the rich got richer
Jacob Hacker and Paul Pierson tell a story that is at once familiar and unfamiliar. The familiar part is that inequality has grown dramatically in the U.S. What’s less familiar is how this came about.
Take & read: Practical theology
Friendship at the Margins: Discovering Mutuality in Service and Mission, by Christopher L. Heuertz and Christine D. Pohl....
A New Kind of Christianity: Ten Questions That Are Transforming the Faith
I’ve been an appreciative reader, even a fan, of Brian McLaren since reading his 1998 book, The Churc...
God at the center: What's church about?
At a church leadership retreat, a tall man with a mustache and red suspenders stands up and says, “Several of us here find ourselves wondering if our church is still God-centered....
The Missional Church and Denominations: Helping Congregations Develop a Missional Identity
A classic 1970s study on the demise of railroads concluded that they went out of busine...
Take and read
A past president of Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, Virginia, Weeks locates the often denigrated work of church administrat...
Mainline markers: How churches identify themselves
When delegates want to speak at a gathering of my denomination, it’s customary for them to stand up and give their name, next give the name of their church, and then say whatever it is they got up ...
Five churches, one building? Good stewardship: Good stewardship
In the story of David and Goliath, Saul famously insisted that David be outfitted in his own kingly armor. While this was a generous gesture, David found that he could hardly move....
Take and read
A wonderful collection of essays from a variety of distinguished practitioners chronicles the sometimes jo...
Anger: Developing Your Spiritual Ally/Holy Anger: Jacob, Job, Jesus
In Anger: Your Spiritual Ally, Andrew Lester, emeritus professor of pastoral theol...
