Editor's Desk

Chicago preachers are wary: we see the potential loss of great sermon material if the Cubs should start winning.

Every time I read Psalm 16, I think about how an individual's life is in large measure the sum total of the influence of others.

One blessing of being retired from ministry is that I'm reading more books that are not directly related to that work.

Two recent books testify to the difficult but hopeful work of forgiving in the most trying circumstances.

A friend recently announced that he had given up hope for the human race. There are days when I find myself thinking about this a lot.

To be a follower of the one who promised that the kingdom of God is like a mustard seed is to expect a blessed in-breaking of peace.

Cuban Presbyterians used to be part of the PCUSA, and pastors paid into the pension plan. Then came the Castro revolution.

The protesters carried American flags and signs: “America is a Christian Nation. Muslims Are Not Welcome!”

We are confronting a reality that for some of us was just an abstraction: black and white communities perceive the police differently and are treated differently by them.

Reinhold Niebuhr once broke with the editor of this magazine to argue that moral responsibility requires resisting evil with force. It’s a compelling argument, but it doesn’t justify torture.

Churches need new thinking—on the part of denominational executives, pastors brave enough to walk into challenging situations, and people willing to let go of a church model that no longer works.

The Christmas truce of 1914—100 years ago this Christmas Eve—gave the world a glimpse of peace in a horrific time.

For many of us, Advent is the most meaningful season of the church year. It’s not passive waiting; it’s living into the promised future.

Illinois is in dreadful shape, with huge debt and underfunded pension liabilities. In the gubernatorial campaign, the ads were focused elsewhere.

In the privacy of the pastor's study, the gap between what the church says and the way people live becomes increasingly clear.

I have carried the burden of knowing that our church contributed to a man's death when we refused him the open acceptance, love, and support that he needed.

Recently my wife and I moved, and the time came to decide which books I could live without. I dreaded it. 

The Cubs and White Sox have some of the worst records in the league. Yet Chicago still went a little crazy over baseball this summer.

The Century exists because Christians who care deeply about theology, ministry, and the life of congregations are willing to support it.

On the porch of a cottage in North Carolina, I gaze in wonder at the expanse in front of me. It's conducive to thinking and reading as well as meditating and praying.