Drew Rick-Miller: On Debates, Differences, and Dismissals
My first seminary course with Wentzel van Huyssteen introduced me to Paul Davies through his classic 1993 book, The Mind of God. So I was thrilled a few years later when Davies was in town to debate British chemist Peter Atkins....
Frederick Buechner Sermon Illustration: The Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:18-23)
In our blog post every Monday we select a reading from the Revised Common Lectionary for the upcoming Sunday, and pair it with a Frederick Buechner reading on the same topic. Next Sunday we will celebrate the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost. Here is this week’s reading from Galatians...
Valerie Bridgeman: Juneteenth 2022: Once You See
As we celebrate Juneteenth, we share this post again from Rev. Dr. Valerie Bridgeman in the hopes it will inspire and challenge you and your communities.
Mitch Carnell: We Can Change the Meanness
How did we become so divided as a people? Where did we learn to hate those with whom we disagree?
Eric Barreto: Acts 1:1-11 in Uvalde
I wonder how the disciples felt when their hopes were dashed...
Maureen Wise: One Church’s Goal to Go Carbon Neutral
Around Earth Day, I discussed some ways that individual churches can make switches to lessen their impact on the Earth. Mount Auburn Presbyterian Church (MAPC) in Cincinnati, Ohio is one of many churches in the Presbyterian denomination that takes part in the denomination’s Earth Care Program.
James Ellis III: Interview about his new book, "An Inward-Outward Witness"
These past few pandemic years have been full of disappointment and despair for all of us, which is all the more reason we feel blessed that James Ellis’s next book has been released: "An Inward-Outward Witness: Suffering's Role in Forming Faithful Preachers."
Frederick Buechner Sermon Illustration: Female (Galatians 3:23-29)
In our blog post every Monday we select a reading from the Revised Common Lectionary for the upcoming Sunday, and pair it with a Frederick Buechner reading on the same topic. Next Sunday we will celebrate the 2nd Sunday after Pentecost. Here is this week’s reading from Galatians...
Angela Denker: A Little Life After a School Shooting, A Mother's Prayer
We share this piece in the hope that it will spark dialogue and reflection as our nation continues to wrestle with the epidemic of gun violence.
Walter Brueggemann: Converting Statistics
Some thoughts on Timothy Snyder's remarkable book, "On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century," published in 2017. This study succinctly summarizes a life-time of work and research by Snyder on the authoritarian “strong men” who have brutally dominated Western international politics.
Raj Nadella: It Takes a Village, or Perhaps a Nation, to End this Epidemic of Gun Violence
Yet another mass shooting in a long list of massacres that have marked an epidemic of gun violence in the U.S. Can anything be done to end this cycle of violence, and who has the power to do it? As with many other issues, Americans have been responding to these questions in vastly different ways.
Science for the Church: Summer 2022 Reading and More
We recommend a lot of resources throughout the year, and the summer may be a great opportunity for you to catch up a on a few. As we’ve done in past years, here are our 2022 recommendations for books and other resources that we hope you’ll have extra bandwidth to dive into this summer.
Frederick Buechner Sermon Illustration: To Wait In Hope
In our blog post every Monday we select a reading from the Revised Common Lectionary for the upcoming Sunday, and pair it with a Frederick Buechner reading on the same topic. Next Sunday we will celebrate Trinity Sunday. Here is this week's reading from the book of Romans...
Andrea Roske-Metcalfe: The Children Will Not Be Silent
A reflection on baptismal promises amidst the noise of children splashing the waters of the font...
Walter Brueggemann: Cities of Refuge?
In the Hebrew scriptures, provision is made for “cities of refuge” that protect the innocent who are vulnerable. What should we do about that?
Margaret Marcuson: There are no unpickable locks
What’s your most insoluble problem? Innumerable problems arise in church life. You had a long list before the pandemic and it’s longer now.
Greg Cootsona: Time and Eternity: In Appreciation of Robert John Russell, Bridge Builder
“My dad died when I was 12. And so, I asked the family’s priest from our local Episcopal parish, ‘Will I see my father in heaven?’” The priest’s answer shocked and dismayed this thoughtful, sensitive young man. “Bob, because of science, we don’t believe in heaven anymore.” Robert John (“Bob”) Russell recounted this poignant story recently...
Frederick Buechner Sermon Illustration: Nicolet's Sermon Writing for Pentecost (Acts 2)
For this week's sermon illustration, Frederick Buechner offers an excerpt from the novel "The Final Beast" where Pastor Theodore Nicolet is trying to write a sermon for Pentecost.
Uvalde: Church Anew Writers Respond
Following the horrific shootings at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX we invited our contributors to share their thoughts and wrestle with the continuing epidemic of mass shootings in America. We pray their words guide you in your own lament and push us all to consider how we might be part of writing a new more peaceful future.
Hannah Fleming: From An Elementary School Teacher
If you have ever been in an elementary school at the end of the school year; it is well contained chaos. Sometimes, also, not very well contained. Yesterday was no exception. On a near-perfect Minnesota spring day, I sat outside, in front of 50(ish) of my Kindergarten students, as they sang in their Kindergarten graduation program.