Voices
Debie Thomas
Between the Bible and me
The version of Christian history I grew up with hit fast-forward after John’s Revelation and held it until the late 20th century.
Samuel Wells
The emotion standing in the way of peace
Anger can be both healthy and helpful. Rage offers only destruction.
Philip Jenkins
The literal drama of church history
Life in the Roman and Byzantine empires was utterly theatrical.
Heidi Neumark
My Pentecostal kin
In my Argentine in-laws’ neighborhoods, there are Protestant churches on every corner. They aren’t mainline.
Isaac S. Villegas
Give to the one who asks of you
I’m on this man’s side, even though I didn’t give him any money. Right?
Alejandra Oliva
The God-haunted music of Julien Baker
There’s a certain horror and heartbreak in God’s grace.
Julian DeShazier
When rituals leave us full—and then empty
Leaving the jailhouse graduation, I wondered, Where have I felt like this before?
Brian Bantum
Can dead things live again?
When the widow in Luke 7 sees her son revived, she isn’t thinking about biology.
Samuel Wells
How we can and can’t help
When my household took in some Ukrainian refugees, we had no idea how their story would end.
Julian DeShazier
Catharsis at church
The book of Ezra helped me realize how bad most congregations are at handling big emotions.
Alejandra Oliva
The brine of Christianity
I don’t go to church anymore, but the faith I was pickled in still shapes me.
Melissa Florer-Bixler
As a pastor, it’s my job to pay attention
In the Mennonite tradition, we are all priests. But I still have a particular role to play.
Philip Jenkins
A gospel that admits it’s a false prophecy
One of the most fascinating texts from early modern Europe is the Gospel of Barnabas.
Heidi Neumark
My retirement to-do list
Several times a day I need to tell myself: I am not busy. I am not in a hurry.
Samuel Wells
Choosing solidarity with God
In a sense, I am asking my parishioners the same thing John Wesley asked: Are you going on?
Yolanda Pierce
A poet’s truth at the graveside
At the interment, the holy words I needed to hear weren’t from the Bible.
Rachel Mann
Compassion makes us human
When we fail to be compassionate, the refrain “Well, we’re only human” is exactly wrong.