Resolved to Unplug? Films, Challenges Urge the Religious to Reflect on Digital Lives
Books, challenges and a new documentary encourages participants to rethink the role of technology in their lives and homes.
Jesus Welcomes Sinners (1-20-19 Formations)
What do you mean when you talk about “good church people”? Jesus appeared in first century Palestine, where the line between “good church people” (code for God's chosen) and pagans was clearly defined.
Small-Town Christian Bookstore Owners Keep Faith Despite an Uncertain Future
Byron and Beth Borger launched their Dallastown, Pa., store during the faith-based-bookstore boom times of the 1980s. They bucked evangelical conventions by including Catholic writers such as Thomas Merton, tackling topics like racial justice and featuring books by spiritual formation proponent Richard Foster, whose take
4 New Year Ideas (Not About Weight)
It is tired, it is overdone, but it is also true: The start of a new year is a great time to at least try to consider new habits.
Jesus Begins to Preach (1-13-19 Formations)
We need epic good news as desperately as the generation to which Jesus was born. The desperation level in the first century must have been equal to that we know in our time.
Jesus Is Baptized (1-6-19 Formations)
In Mark's version of the Jesus story, you won’t find the genealogy of Jesus, the exile to Egypt or the Temple visit when the boy Jesus impressed the scholars of the Law. The opening words of this shortest of the four gospels confront the flawed
God Has Spoken (12-30-18 Formations)
In the iconic movie “The Wizard of Oz,” the message of finding your place in life is dramatically staged when Dorothy and her friends enter the throne room of “The Great Oz.” Toto, Dorothy's beloved dog, dispels the magical powers of the wizard by pulling
In the Fullness of Time (12-23-18 Formations)
The sole Gentile gospel writer, Luke, records that on the night of Jesus' birth an angel appeared with a message to shepherds in the sheep pastures outside Bethlehem. The pioneer missionary Paul presents this dramatic message of hope for all the world, using an image
He Shall Feed His Flock (12-16-18 Formations)
Isaiah's message in today's study is a dramatic contrast to Jeremiah's writings we studied last week. Isaiah's “book” can be divided in half: the first 39
Good Burritos for a Toxic World
An annual tradition of this column calls attention to the kind of religious inspiration that religion didn’t necessarily request. Suspecting that the cause of these decisions were due to indigestion rather than inspiration, I’ve named them the Bad Burrito Awards.