Looking Back to Look Forward
January marked the 50th anniversary of my brother Dennis’s death. The sheer volume of days, months, and years is staggering. But it’s more than that. I’m amazed that after five decades, the dull ache of loss persists.
We Need Just Mercy
Why should a person be punished because our lawmakers were slow to recognize their error? If a sentence is wrong, then it is wrong. We shouldn’t measure truth or justice by a calendar.
How to Fund Ministry Amid Mainline Decline? Get Creative, Say Campus Ministry Leaders
Pres House, on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, shows what a denomination can do when it focuses on the resources it has, rather than worrying about what it doesn’t have, according to Rev. Mark Elsdon.
Boy Scouts’ Future Uncertain After Bankruptcy Filing
Barraged by hundreds of sex-abuse lawsuits, the Boy Scouts of America filed for bankruptcy protection Tuesday in hopes of working out a potentially mammoth victim compensation plan that will allow the 110-year-old organization to carry on.
Michigan Church Replant Launches Fruit Basket Ministry to Build ‘Bridge to the Community’
Children’s Missions Day, an annual missions emphasis promoted by Woman’s Missionary Union, has the potential to generate missions projects that reach far beyond a single day.
Thomas Merton, My Stroke, and the Light Within
You don’t always need classes run by Zen masters to discover quiet reflection. Reading the right books at the right times in my life has always provided essential solace and guidance.
Prophets Are Social Critics, Not Fortunetellers
For many preachers, it can be a challenge to preach each Sunday from the Common Lectionary rather than simply use their favorite passages of the Bible. I had to wonder what conservative preachers did with last Sunday’s reading from the Prophet Isaiah.
Is the Rise of the Nones Slowing? Scholars Say Maybe
For the past 25 years, the number of Americans claiming no religion has steadily ballooned as more and more people quit church, synagogue or mosque and openly acknowledged being a “none.” But that growth may be leveling off.
Refusing the King’s Food
Daniel knew the danger of refusing an order from the king. But Daniel knew he must do what's right, regardless of the social pressures or the political consequences.
Little League to College Champion
“I have learned it is not all about the game," says former SEMO Redhawk Zach Hall. "The game is a blessing itself. There is so much more I can do outside of football that can affect others and the community,”