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Greg Smith

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Review of The World’s Christians (#0421)

2011/07/11 By Greg

Meet the Author Douglas Jacobsen has taught at Messiah College in Grantham, PA since 1984.  Currently he serves as  Distinguished Professor of Church History and Theology.  Jacobsen is a member of the United Church of Christ and serves on the Theological Commission of the UCC Penn Central Conference.  Jacobsen is the author of several books including Scholarship and Christian Faith: Enlarging the Conversation (with Rhonda Hustedt Jacobsen, 2004) and The World's Read More …

One Big Step for the PCUSA (#0361)

2011/05/12 By Greg

After many years of debate and movement toward change, this denomination has now reached the point at which it is certain that effective July 10, 2011, "a person in a same gender relationship can be considered for ordination as deacon, elder, or Minister of the Word and Sacrament."  This news comes after many years of discussion and attempted change. So What? I grew up in a Presbyterian (PCUSA) congregation.  It was at First Presbyterian Church in Arlington, TX Read More …

Where Have All the Catholics Gone? (#0346)

2011/04/28 By Greg

Established in 1964, the National Catholic Reporter (NCR) is the largest independent print and web Catholic news source in the United States.  Recently, the NCR published an article by Fr. Thomas Reese, former editor in chief of America, exploring the massive numbers of people who have left the Catholic church in recent years.  He frames the issue thusly: The U.S. Religious Landscape Survey by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life has put hard numbers on the Read More …

Reshaping Seminary Education (#0315)

2011/03/28 By Greg

Earlier this month, I wrote "A Shift in Theological Education" to highlight the shift in seminary education from primarily an on campus face-to-face learning experience to one that includes hybrid (using both face-to-face and online components) or online courses.  This shift mirrors what has happened in higher education more generally where online enrollment grew 20% over the most recently available seven year period from 9% to 29%. Interestingly, The Reverend Dr. Frederick W. Read More …

Religious Under and Over Representation in the 112th Congress (#0262)

2011/02/03 By Greg

The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life posted "Faith on the Hill: The Religious Composition of the 112th Congress" last month.  This article explores the religious makeup of both chambers, compares the religious preferences of newly elected officials and incumbents, and provides historical data.  Shown at right is a chart showing how varying religions are represented in the 112th Congress and in the American adult population as a whole. So What? While some variance between the Read More …

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Greg Smith

Greg is a follower of the Way of Jesus who strives to make the world a better place for all people. Currently, he serves as Chief Executive Officer of White Rock Center of Hope and as Interim Senior Pastor of Advent Lutheran Church. He has served ten congregations, taught religion to undergraduates for eight years, and helped three organizations provide quality healthcare to underserved populations. (Read More)

Categories

Recent Posts

  • Living by Faith (#2228)
  • Fewer Master of Divinity Students (#2227)
  • Welcoming Everyone (#2226)
  • The Increasingly Purple Mainline (#2225)
  • My Visit to First Christian Church in Edmond, Oklahoma (#2224)

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