How I learned to love the question “What will make your heart sing?”
When I became the director of the Lilly Endowment Clergy Renewal Programs in 2012, I inherited programs that had already been running..
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Why such a big deal about wedding cake?
Guest commentary by Beth Brown In my world here in Chicago as the pastor of Lincoln Park Presbyterian Church, what the Supreme..
Who Lynched Willie Earle? Preaching to Confront Racism
Will Willimon Abingdon Press, 154 pages Reviewed by Karen Branan It was March 1947, and Hawley Lynn was two short years out..
Embodied Hope: A Theological Meditation on Pain and Suffering
Kelly M. Kapic InterVarsity Press, 192 pages Reviewed by Deborah McKinley “I’m going to visit _________.” That’s what I do when I..
Reset the Heart: Unlearning Violence, Relearning Hope
Mai-Anh Le Tran Abingdon Press, 176 pages Reviewed by Susan G. De George In response to the shooting of Michael Brown..
Vintage Saints and Sinners: 25 Christians Who Transformed My Faith
Karen Wright Marsh InterVarsity Press, 224 pages Reviewed by Jeff J. Meyers Dorothy Day, the founder of the Catholic Worker Movement, once..
God’s Grace: Neighbor-run ministry in Indiana serves those in need
Guest commentary by Richard Peterson Maybe hard times have to get worse before they get better. It seems like that’s the way..
Sacred space: Interfaith efforts to protect Bears Ears
Guest commentary by Conrad Rocha The sacred land of Bears Ears National Monument in southeastern Utah is now under major threat. On..
What’s right about McKinley Presbyterian Church?
McKinley Presbyterian Church — Champaign, Illinois At the edge of the University of Illinois campus, McKinley Presbyterian Church was the first Presbyterian..
Lance Warren
“No matter the tribes we choose, the morally-minded decry the killing of innocent people. This is not a high bar for unity;..
See me: A father’s perspective after stillbirth
Guest commentary by Patrick David Heery I am a father. I am a father of two beautiful twin boys and four children..
Parenting Silas
Guest commentary by Courtney Fields Connelly We were beyond thrilled to be expecting a second son, Silas, due May 2014. Our older..
Struggling to conceive
Guest commentary by Jena Hernandez Two and a half years ago my husband, Brandon, and I decided to try to get pregnant..
Standing in the gap: The story of two southern pastors in 1968
Editor’s note: This story is adapted from the book “Blood and Bone: Truth and Reconciliation in a Southern Town” On the..
Volume two
Guest commentary by Kristin Willett Two years. It is hard for me to come to terms with it, yet it has been..
Break Open the Sky: Saving Our Faith from a Culture of Fear
Stephan Bauman Multnomah Press, 224 pages Reviewed by Susan Andrews “Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don’t..
Happiness and thankfulness
Guest commentary by Emmanuel O. Afolabi Happiness is not found in acquiring “more,” but in being more thankful for what we've already..
Thanksgiving, equality and our history
Giving thanks is a fundamental practice in Christianity, including the Presbyterian Church. Ecumenical expressions of gratitude characterize American history. They include the..
Expecting civil rights
In 1963 Union Presbytery, based primarily in eastern Tennessee, sent a delegation to its four black congregations in Alabama: Trinity, Miller’s Ferry,..
American racism: Call for a righteous reset
“DDT – Diagnosis determines the treatment.” – Joseph Barndt, Crossroads Ministry As a senior in seminary, I was required to write a narrative for my..
Advent devotions – Year B (2017)
Are you looking for theologically sound, inspiring and affordable Advent devotions for the congregation? This year, for the first time, the Presbyterian..
A Catholic among Presbyterians: Timothy Cardinal Dolan preaches on Reformation Sunday
Guest commentary by Timothy Palmer Curl It was a surprising choice — a Roman Catholic cardinal preaching to one of the nation’s..
Discarded things
Our group of five newly registered chaplaincy residents gathered for the first time with the obligatory “get acquainted” exercise. After selecting..
U.W. Clemon
“I never envisioned that I would be fighting in 2017 essentially the same battle that I thought I won in 1971. But..
The Sign and the Sacrifice: The Meaning of the Cross and Resurrection
Rowan Williams Westminster John Knox Press, 128 pages Reviewed by Juli Wilson-Black A story is told that during the funeral procession of..