by Rev. Dr. Robert R. LaRochelle Current data indicates that an increasing number of Americans identify themselves as ‘unchurched’. This includes not only those who, in their adult life, do not go to church, but also a great number who were not raised within a church tradition. While it seems to me that more…
by Allan R. Bevere Here someone may raise an objection. “Could not God have made humanity perfect from the beginning?” Yet one must know that all things are possible for God, who is always the same and uncreated. But created beings, and all who have their beginning of being in the course of time,…
by Bob Cornwall In a previous posting I raised the question of what baptism might look like, or at least be understood, in the context of the practice of the Open Table. If all are invited to the Lord’s Table, where does that leave baptism? As I’ve noted in previous essays I am part of a…
by Chris Surber We’ve forgotten how to grieve. In our efforts to sterilize and glamorize our lives we have ostracized anguish. It isn’t allowed in our smoke filled light show worship services because it’s frankly a downer. It’s not welcomed in our mass marketed DVD Bible Studies because it doesn’t draw crowds. Today we…
by David Moffett-Moore Charlie Brown’s Snoopy likes to dance, chanting, “To dance is to live, to live is to dance!” and he makes a convincing case. He dances with vigor and abandonment. Snoopy throws his whole being into the dance; in return, the dance expresses all that Snoopy is and hopes for. I like…
by Bill Tuck When I was pastor of St. Matthews Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky, one of my church members told me that one of the most vivid memories that he had from his small rural church was the service of foot washing. I don’t expect that there are too many of us who…
by Elgin Hushbeck, Jr. In a recent segment on Global Christian Perspectives discussing my last blog post on the minimum wage, the claim was made about opposition to the minimum wage, “That’s greed. Everyone who has argued against a minimum wage, or even a living wage, has wanted to keep the bottom line for…
by Bruce Epperly Paul is the theologian of grace. God’s grace transformed his life, turning him from persecutor to proclaimer, and assuring him that he was a new creation, despite his past behavior. Over the years, many who see themselves as Pauline theologically believe that God does everything and that we do nothing. Left…
by Kent Ira Groff Bless the Lord, O my self,* and all that is within me, bless God’s holy name (Psalm103:1). *nefesh Hebrew soul What do folks mean when they talk about soul? It seems so nebulous. Spirituality often gets a bum rap for seeming disconnected from the stuff of life. “Soul”—nefesh in Hebrew)…
by Doris Murdoch This is my fourth post on my Holy Land tour. I’m trying to allow God to lead me to the content of each post. At this point, I’m not sure why I feel led to this post. The use of traditional guardians in the Holy City of Jerusalem has left my…
