Editorial – Elephants by the campfire
A few big gray mammals sat by the campfire at last month’s meetings of the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board (PMAB) The elephants..
The Presbyterian Outlook
Creating and curating trustworthy resources for the church, the Presbyterian Outlook connects disciples of Jesus Christ through compelling and committed conversation for the proclamation of the Gospel.
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What Called Me to Ministry and What Keeps Me in Ministry
As of October 1, I have served in my current congregation – “my first..
COGA issues letter on General Assembly gathering and Detroit
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: The Committee on the Office of the General Assembly writes to share our enthusiasm for..
WCC 10th Assembly: hopes and aspirations
BUSAN, SOUTH KOREA (WCC) The 10th Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) begins at the end of October and promises to be..
It’s about time: Planning a life-giving sabbatical
Webinar- It’s about time: Planning a life-giving sabbatical This webinar was recorded November 11, 2013. Having recently returned from his second sabbatical,..
Highland Park vote on joining ECO (updated)
Highland Park Presbyterian Church in Dallas voted by margin of 89 percent on Oct. 27 to end its affiliation with the Presbyterian..
Film in review – “The Counselor”
“Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of..
Where truth and beauty reunite: Princeton Theological Seminary inaugurates 7th president
PRINCETON, N. J. (PNS) “Real religion has never ever imagined that it was possible to split up the twin sisters of beauty..
Rocky Stony Point: Evaluation Committee nominated to review incorporation proposal, special PMAB meeting called
LOUISVILLE (PNS) The Rev. Matt Schramm, chair of the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board (PMAB), has appointed a three-member Evaluation Committee to review..
The Bible and Belhar
LOUISVILLE (PNS) The General Assembly Special Committee on the Confession of Belhar has made available The Bible and Belhar, a new resource co-authored by Stephen..
Report: Church giving reaches Depression-era record lows
WASHINGTON (RNS) Collection plates are growing even lighter as Protestant church member giving reached new lows in 2011, and tithing probably will..
Book review – Living in Limbo: Life in the Midst of Uncertainty
Living in Limbo: Life in the Midst of Uncertainty by Donald Capps and Nathan Carlin Cascade Books, Eugene, Ore. 127..
Hollywood looks to the Bible for screenplay potential
NEW YORK (RNS) Studios and filmmakers are rediscovering a classic text as source material for upcoming mainstream films: the Bible. Nearly..
Hymnalology
Most of us have heard the possibly apocryphal story of theologian Karl Barth answering a student’s question about the most important thing..
OpEd in response to Heidi Husted Armstrong’s benedictory
Heidi Husted Armstrong wrote me a letter and I don’t even know her. She wrote a letter to those “considering leaving”..
Mid council leaders adopt new name, purpose, bylaws
DETROIT (PNS) When they started out in the 1980s, they called themselves AEPS. Back in those days, almost every presbytery in the..
Initial 1001 Investment Grants awarded
LOUISVILLE (PNS) Some of the first new worshiping communities to receive Seed Grants ($7,500) have been awarded Investment Grants ($17,500) by the Presbyterian Mission..
Methodist court to consider growing opposition to gay ban
(RNS) The United Methodist Church’s highest court gathers for its semiannual meeting in Baltimore on Wednesday, as the denomination confronts a growing..
A river runs beneath it
I began my academic career as professor at College of the Holy Cross, a very fine Jesuit school in Worcester, Massachusetts...
In Kenya, archbishop calls for focus on missions and evangelism
NAIROBI, Kenya ( RNS) Amid deep division in the worldwide Anglican Communion, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby on Sunday emphasized the need..
It’s a beautiful day
DETROIT – What do the band U2 and a hotel ballroom full of 250 mid council leaders have to do with each other?..
Navigating the ‘narrow ridge’ between curiosity and conviction
The vast majority of independent, private institutions of higher learning in the U.S. were established by the church. Hundreds of historically Protestant..
Bookmark – The Case for the Psalms: Why They Are Essential
The Case for the Psalms: Why They Are Essential by N.T. Wright HarperOne. San Francisco. 196 pages. Is there anyone writing today..
Film in review – “Blue Caprice”
“Blue Caprice” is a chilling film. It’s a low-budget, under-hyped, starkly real story of the two still-anonymous men who became the 2002..
Film in review – “Romeo And Juliet”
It’s quite an undertaking to do the original Shakespeare play in the olde Elizabethan English and to do so with quality..