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 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 Meg Peery McLaughlin
Having recently been ordained in the Presbyterian Church (USA), I pay attention at Presbytery meetings when new ministers are being questioned for ordination or transfer. Two confessions about my attentiveness:
1. I’m glad it is them and not me up there. It’s intense.
2. Code words from the new minister’s statement of faith jump off 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 Jim Burklo
Since The Center for Progressive Christianity came into being in 1994, it has succeeded in widely spreading the term “progressive Christian” around the world. It embraces a pluralistic spirituality, inclusion of people who have been traditionally excluded from the church, openness to metaphorical interpretations of Christian tradition, and commitment to practicing the faith […]
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 David Bartlett
In my previous entry I shared some reflections on a friend and colleague who died over the summer—Brevard Childs. In this entry I want to reflect on the life and contributions of Letty Russell, another friend and colleague who also died a few months ago.
The obituaries on Letty all noted that she was […]
by David Bartlett
During this summer two of my friends and colleagues died. Each had made significant contributions to theological education and to the church. In some ways their theological commitments were strikingly different, but they shared a fierce devotion to the Bible and an unshakeable conviction that scripture still speaks to contemporary people. I want […]