John Buchanan
God and country: Why is pluralism so hard?
Christmas 2005 may be remembered as the year arguments were revived over whether in the public square one should say “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays.” Target and Wal-Mart stores were boycotted...
A good cry: A child is born!
Barbara Wheeler, president of Auburn Theological Seminary, tells about flying from New York to California one December to make a speech at Fuller Theological Seminary....
Song in the city: Divine birth in a mundane world
One of the most memorable sermons I ever heard—one of the very few I actually remember—was a Christmas Day sermon preached by Charles Leber....
Go Sox, go Cubs: Not either-or but both-and
This is not an easy time to be a Chicago Cubs fan. Chicago is still celebrating the stunning World Series sweep by the Chicago White Sox....
Open-door policy: Churches worth visiting
Michael Crosbie’s article on church design in this issue takes readers on quick visits to several churches. It reminded me of my own love of church buildings....
Staying power: Heim at the helm
The congregation I serve recently surprised me by publicly recognizing the 20th anniversary of my arrival....
Book bag: Suggested reading
There are Beach People and Non-Beach People. Most summers I spend a week—or two or three—at the beach....
Katrina: How to respond to tragedy?
For the second time in ten months our attention has been commanded by a natural catastrophe—there was the tsunami this past December in Southeast Asia and now Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Co...
Teaching moments: Tribute to a beloved professor
Some theologians seem to disdain the church as they shine their scholarly light on the church’s triviality, unfaithfulness and banality....
Beginnings: Schools represent a community's deepest values
I read over the articles in this issue on teenage spirituality while traveling to my high school reunion in western Pennsylvania....
Schooled in religion: Bible verses in the classroom
The day always began at the Fairview Elementary School with the teacher reading ten verses from the Bible, alternating one from the Old with one from the New Testament....
An evangelical imperative: Christian unity
George Lindbeck’s thoughtful reflections in this issue on the state of ecumenism set me to ruminating on my own ecumenical experience....
Positive influence: The gospel of reward fills a mainline vaccum
The article in the previous issue on megachurch pastor Joel Osteen set me to thinking about the members of my congregation who are wa...
Into the future: Commencements
Over the years I have attended many commencement ceremonies as a parent, occasionally as the speaker and this year, for the first time, as a grandparent....
Holy contention: The freedom to raise questions
It is not clear whether Thomas Reese was forced, pressured or strongly encouraged to resign as editor of the Jesuit weekly America....
Preach it: God uses even poor sermons
In his novel Barchester Towers, Anthony Trollope writes: “There is, perhaps, no greater hardship on mankind in civilized and free countries than the necessity of listening to sermons....
When in Rome: Hopes for Benedict XVI
It was fascinating to be in Rome on the day Pope John Paul II died and to be in Italy as the College of Cardinals elected Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger to be the new head of the Roman Catholic Church.<...
Heart of the matter: Shepherding souls
At ordination Presbyterian ministers promise to give their “energy, intelligence, imagination and love” to ministry. Sometimes just managing the institution of the church exhausts such capacities....
A great calling: Gratitude for an amazing vocation
One of my laments over the years has been over the dreadful image of clergy in popular media....
Graceful presence: Funeral hospitality
Those of us who work in the church know how trivial, vain and self-serving the “institutional” church (as we used to call it in seminary—as if there were any other kind) can be....