by Robert K. Martin
This is the third blog in a series I’ve called “Being church”. In this series I’ve tried to describe how church is actually a verb. When Christians gather together, we are not ‘church’ because we call ourselves a church or because we belong to a congregation or because we built a nice […]
by Jarrett McLaughlin
What makes the Bible such an interesting collection of writings is also what makes them so maddeningly frustrating at times. The fact that the Bible holds together so many different documents and different theological perspectives is precisely what makes it so timeless. At times, however, the more peculiar theological trajectories contained in these […]
by Robert K. Martin
A decisive moment in my shift to understanding church as a verb, as enacted, as an incarnational reality, occurred as we were tromping through the wilderness. Literally. In the middle of a North Carolina forest near Ashville, I had taken a group of divinity students on a wilderness adventure in which a […]
by Susan Andrews
The Season of Passion has always been the most significant rhythm of the year for me as a spiritual pilgrim. One of my earliest memories of the church is sitting in the three hour Good Friday service – my Dad preaching one of the “seven last words” – and my mother singing, in […]
by Jarrett McLaughlin
Last week, the session at my Church had the privilege of examining a young woman who was seeking our endorsement for Inquirer status within the Presbytery. While some may see this as a burdensome requirement of Presbyterian polity, I like to think of it as one of the great privileges of the call […]
by Robert Martin
Just last week, I returned from a 3 week trip to Nepal. Yes, that Nepal, one of the poorest countries in the world, sandwiched between India and China, split from its spiritual cousin, Tibet, by the towering majesty of Mount Everest and the rest of the Himalayan range. If you have perused the […]
by Tom Are
Jim Burklo got me thinking. In his most recent post (Progressive Christian Elevator Speeches) he identifies the difficulty congregations have these days in knowing how to talk about ourselves. Even more difficult is talking about ourselves in a way that makes sense to the community at large. We used to be the “Mainline […]
by Susan Andrews
Nine years ago – when I was 49 – I experienced the gift of a three month sabbatical. After 25 years of ministry and 25 years of marriage and 22 years of parenting, I was ready for a break. And so I put together 10 weeks of exploration – some into areas of […]
by Fred Weidmann
The continuing relevance of the great blues song, Stormy Monday, popularized by T. Bone Walker and re-popularized by the Allman Brothers and—on any given weekend—by various bar bands across the country, is self-evident. But what might it mean? One listens to the narrator’s voice work through the (fatalistic?) week, declaring Tuesday “just as […]
by Steve Rankin
“Kingdom of God” may well be one of the most common phrases in Christian parlance. According to the Gospel accounts, it was on Jesus’ mind and tongue a lot. A whole generation (at least) of theologians, church leaders and members sought to “bring in” the Kingdom by applying the ethical teachings of Jesus. […]
by Gordon McClellan
Editor’s Note: This is the transcript of a sermon preached on June 17, 2007. We have decided to publish it now, on the QTL blog, because of the on-going need for religion in America to allow itself to be defined by grace more than by hostility; by including rather than excluding; by humility […]
by Jarrett McLaughlin
Writing “Thank you” notes was never a personal strength of mine. It really wasn’t until I got married that I ever really wrote one. Suddenly, my wife Meg deposited into my lap a ten page spreadsheet of all the people we needed to thank for our wedding. Notes to the wedding guests were […]
by Susan Andrews
In my new position as a presbytery executive, I drive – a lot! Ninety-two churches, spread out over seven counties – from New York City almost up to Albany and from Connecticut to New Jersey on both sides of the Hudson River. Luckily, most of the scenery is gorgeous, and the roads are […]
by Jim Burklo
“… But often, in the world’s most crowded streets,
But often, in the din of strife,
There rises an unspeakable desire
After the knowledge of our buried life;
A thirst to spend our fire and restless force
In tracking out our true, original course;
A longing to inquire
Into the mystery of this heart which beats
So wild, so deep in […]
by Steve Rankin
Americans are obsessed with their own emotional states. I work with college students where this syndrome is vir-tually epidemic, but it is not limited to young people, or to viewers of shows like “Oprah.” I don’t know about you, but it drives me crazy to watch some reporter stick a microphone […]
by Roy Howard
John Updike once said he wanted to write with the same dedication as the monks whose vocation is to carve Psalms on the bottom side of choir seats. I can’t find the reference anymore but the quote has lived with me for years. Why? I imagine those beautifully carved choir seats that few […]
by Steve Rankin
We’ve become quite aware (and appropriately so) of the religious diversity around the world and in our neighborhoods. The upshot is a certain lack of confidence: if there are so many sincerely religious people and our visions of the divine (even using “divine” as the reference is problematic) are so diverse, how could […]
by Trevor Eppehimer
In a time in which the logic of the market carries over into religion as well as economics, religious leaders often feel pressure to tailor theology to meet the demands of the consumer-driven, spiritual marketplace. As a result, theological “hard truths” are often soft peddled, lest they adversely impact things like […]
by Meg Peery McLaughlin
They were traveling up the center aisle to see the body. Moving with faithful footsteps toward the one they dearly loved. Tears filled their eyes and they held tight to daughters and sisters as they came forward to view the deceased, hands folded calmly, suit freshly pressed.
I had lost the battle, you […]
by Robert K. Martin
Theology.
What is it?
Where does it lead?
What difference does it make?
As a kid raised in a Southern Baptist family in a Southern Baptist home in a Southern culture (Louisiana, which could be considered “southern-kicked up a notch”, especially if you have read Rebecca Wells “The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya […]