In the December 26, 2012 edition of the Christian Century, John M. Buchanan writes: The more I ponder the story of Jesus the more convinced I am that it's about a radical inclusivity that threatened and still threatens all who are invested in exclusivity of any kind, but particularly religious exclusivity. Jesus had no time for religion as a definer of who was "in" and who was "out," who was "us" and who was "them." The story still challenges every Read More …
Discipleship
Living or Loving? (#0959)
Bob Bohl is the former moderator of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and pastor of Village Presbyterian Church. He is currently chairman of the Board of Trustees at Princeton Theological Seminary. In a sermon entitled "Living In the Direction of God's Dream," he offered these challenging words: I believe there are at least two kinds of churches...one is a living church and the other is a loving church. There is a distinct difference between the two. Living churches are judged by their Read More …
Warm Wishes for a Blessed Christmas (#0954)
The following video by the Officers of the United Church of Christ is a powerful reminder of what this day is all about. The closing blessing is worth repeating: May God's blessings be yours this Christmas. Be filled with wonder. Be touched by grace. Believe in the miracle of God's love made flesh. And may the miracle, glory, and wonder of this sacred season warm your heart this Christmas and through each day of the coming year. Read More …
A New Multi-Site Model (#0947)
Teddy Ray is pastor and preacher for the Offerings Community and the Executive Pastor of 1st United Methodist Church in Lexington, KY. Recently, he wrote about the dramatic growth in multi-site churches and provided an explanation of how his church's approach differs from the traditional multi-site models. Multi-site congregations are a relatively new idea. Ray mentions the years multi-site congregations in the USA reached significant numeric milestones: Read More …
An Internet Challenge (#0942)
From 2003-2011 Paul Brandeis Raushenbush was the Associate Dean of Religious Life and the Chapel at Princeton University. Now he serves as the Senior Religion Editor for the Huffington Post. A few weeks ago he wrote an article focusing on the power and prevalence of the internet as a source of religious information. He concluded that piece with these insightful and challenging words: Instead of the bombs of negativity, distrust and conflict that can find Read More …
More Than Coffee (#0941)
When it comes to church, it seems coffee is everywhere. Because of its significant visibility, people often use it as a way (or sometimes the way) of enacting change for the good. Thankfully, as a result of conversations about what should be offered, many congregations have chosen to transition to fair trade coffee served in more environmentally friendly cups. Thomas Turner, program manager at International Justice Mission, recently blogged about the importance of Read More …
Sex Outside of Marriage by Religion (#0940)
A new study published in the American Sociological Review, found that Muslims and Hindus "are more likely than Christians and Jews to refrain from sex outside of marriage". More specifically, the data shows: Those who report having premarital sex: 94% of Jews 79% of Christians 65% of Buddhists 43% of Muslims 19% of Hindus Those who report having extramarital sex: 4% of Jews 3% of Christians Less than 1% of Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists So What? While this Read More …
Dumb Ways to Die/Live (#0934)
Last month, a rather unusual video sharing oh so many dumb ways to die went viral. The video was originally designed as part of a safety campaign for Metro Trains in Melbourne, although I suspect most viewers are unaware of such. So What? It is easy to smile at the catchy tune and recognize that all of the choices listed are truly dumb ways to die. As you listen to the song, think about life and ask yourself: how many dumb ways are there to live? Is your own life Read More …
Hurry Up & Be Generous (#0933)
Seth Godin is the author of twelve books that have been bestsellers around the world and changed the way people think about marketing, change, and work. He is also the master of saying a great deal using relatively few words on his blog. Recently he shared that while people are in a hurry to do many things, generosity isn't usually on that list. Godin then asked a powerful question: What happens when we adopt the posture of being in a hurry to be generous? So What? As we Read More …
Borg on the UCC (#0931)
Progressive Christian scholar Marcus Borg served as the Hundere Chair of Religion and Culture in the Philosophy Department at Oregon State University until his retirement in 2007. He is the author of numerous books, including Evolution of the Word: The New Testament in the Order the Books Were Written (my review) Speaking Christian: Why Christian Words Have Lost Their Meaning and Power –And How They Can Be Restored (my review) Putting Away Childish Things: A Tale of Modern Read More …