Church
How some churches fail to provide a lifeline
Tiffany Brooks offers much more than just another exvangelical anger manual.
December 11, Advent 3A (Matthew 11:2-11)
John the Baptist is not sure if Jesus is very Christlike.
A very long discernment
Luke is in a maximum security prison. He wants to be an Episcopal priest.
Should we avoid liturgical language of light and dark?
While struggling with this question as a church songwriter, I came up with six guidelines.
A clergy mental health crisis
The stress of the past few years has brought many to the breaking point.
The sacred relics of a lifetime of ministry
Marilyn wasn’t sure she could stomach the sight of a truck carting 56 years of her husband’s work to the dump.
The Word made grotesque
If we want our sermons to resemble real life, says Charles Campbell, we might take a hint from carnival.
November 6, Ordinary 32C (Haggai 1:15b-2:9)
My church is located in the first municipality in the country with a public reparations fund.
Is Christian celebrity harmful to the church?
Yes, says Katelyn Beaty, who defines celebrity as “fame’s shinier, slightly obnoxious cousin.”
November 1, All Saints (Ephesians 1:11-23)
On All Saints’ Day I remember those who tried and failed and tried again.
The Presbyterian missionary who became a revolutionary in Iran
“Howard Baskerville believed there was no separation of religion and politics,” says Reza Aslan, “that democracy was a divine gift.”
Persia’s first American missionaries
Justin Perkins and Charlotte Bass suffered multiple losses during their missionary years. Was it worth it?
Post-evangelical healing
Charles Marsh writes beautifully about the anxiety instilled by his childhood faith—and the therapy it took to overcome it.
On Native land
Land acknowledgments can do a lot of good—if they’re rooted in solid process and relationships.
The priest behind the screen
Oddly enough, some of the best TV shows about clergy come from secular Europe.
Finding church after religious trauma
Brooke Petersen gathers the stories of eight queer Christians who left churches—and found new ones.
Meet the Church of Sweden’s archbishop-elect
Martin Modéus will lead the national church during a time of profound change.
The Night Pastor
I recently came across a record by 1960s Episcopal priest and jazz musician Robert Owen.
A church made of dust
After each service, I sweep up the dirt, specks of plastic, and tendrils of hair.