During the month of July I went through what had become a rather large pile of physical books and list of electronic books I had intended to read by mid-year. I managed to read 16 such books and gave away around an equal number. The top ten I read that were published last year or this year follow. (5+) Beyond Resistance: The Institutional Church Meets the Postmodern World by John Dorhauer (Exlporation Press, 2015) (5) Move Your Bus: An Extraordinary New Approach to Read More …
Bruce Epperly
The Future of Seminary Education (#0534)
During the months of October and November, Patheos is providing a unique look into the future of seminary education. They have invited 25 leaders to write blog posts exploring the topic. In reviewing the October contributions, I found the following remarks of considerable interest: Jim Burklo: "I envision a time when seminaries are better known as retreat centers for lay people than as schools for professional pastors. If seminaries have a much wider cultural focus and Read More …
Progressive Theology – Shared Affirmations (#0401)
Patheos recently launched a progressive Christian portal. During the next two weeks, this new portal is hosting a symposium exploring what progressive Christianity is and why that matters today. Bruce Epperly, an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ and Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) who serves as Professor of Practical Theology and Director of Continuing Education at Lancaster Theological Seminary, contributed an article to this week's discussion Read More …
Moving the Mainline Forward (#0156)
The Future of Mainline Denominations Recently, I have written several articles designed to introduce my readers to a variety of perspectives related to the future of mainline denominations. Leaders within the mainline denominations understand that change is essential to reverse the decades of decline. In recent posts, I have shared many voices including those of Peter Wallace, Bruce Epperly, and Bruce Reyes Chow Stephen Sterner Landon Whitsitt Read More …
The Future of Mainline Denominations (#0151)
The Future of Mainline Protestantism As a group, mainline Protestants have experienced ongoing decline in membership for multiple decades. In recent years some have replaced "mainline" with terms like "old line" or "sidelined." Looking forward, almost everyone agrees that unless something changes significantly the decline will continue. While some writers have focused on the decline including the likely causes and others are calling for the end of Read More …