Chris Dela Cruz explores how listening can be an act of faith formation, challenging churches to create spaces where young people feel noticed, known, valued and empowered to shape their communities.
Christy Williams and Brittany Porch reflect on the shrinking path for nonordained Christian educators and youth workers — and what the PC(USA) risks when it fails to invest in those called to faith formation.
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Former Hastings College Chaplain Doodle Harris interviewed 21 students about why they left church. Their answers reveal pain, curiosity and an enduring desire to pursue faith beyond the sanctuary.
In the wake of staff cuts at Columbia Theological Seminary and Presbyterian Life & Witness, William Yoo calls for greater transparency, accountability and care from the institutions that serve the PC(USA).
Scott Anderson argues that Christianity offers a way to think about markets, government and economic justice beyond the tired binary of capitalism and socialism.
In each issue of the Outlook, we include a discussion guide to further reflect on the issue. We recommend using this guide in your Bible study, small group or book club. It's our invitation into a faithful conversation.
Who are the faithful leaders making a difference in your congregation, community or corner of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)?
Owen Gray shares how a Texas congregation's steady, month-after-month presence at school board meetings became a quiet but powerful form of public witness.
Writing in response to H. Carson Rhyne's "What's in a title?," Janet Benson makes the case that "commissioned pastor" offers greater clarity about the role CREs play in the life of the church.
Mihee Kim-Kort shares what remembering the Korean War, American militarism and the church’s witness can teach us.
Meet Jimothy, the internet's new favorite raccoon, who can teach us that delight is more than a distraction — it's a spiritual practice, writes Brittany Harrold Porch.
As Katy Shevel prepares for a sabbatical, Ruth Haley Barton's vision of Sabbath reshapes her understanding of rest — not as self-care, but as a rhythm God intends for the whole church.
Following the General Assembly's referral of a proposed monogamy requirement, Jacob Douylliez reflects on why patient discernment has long been central to the church's search for truth.
Brendan McLean explores how Spider-Man taught him lessons about responsibility, service and loving his neighbor long before he recognized them as Christian morals.
Outlook Editor Teri McDowell Ott explains why the staff will step away for a week of Sabbath and why play is essential to our personal, spiritual and organizational flourishing.
Jennifer Butler argues that mainline Protestants must reclaim a public, liberating faith to counter Christian nationalism and help heal a fraying democracy.
"Class of 2026, receive this final blessing with some help from George Strait, Sabrina Carpenter, Ella Langley, Wendell Berry, Pope Francis, the prophet Micah and Lil Wayne," writes chaplain Maggie Alsup.
The juxtaposition of virtues and sins of John Witherspoon and other founding Fathers can lend wisdom for our own moment, writes James Calvin Davis.
On America’s 250th anniversary, faith communities model a fragile but hopeful vision of unity grounded in truth, repentance and shared responsibility, writes Teri McDowell Ott.
When misinformation fuels disease outbreaks and deepens inequality, science denialism becomes more than an intellectual debate. It becomes a social justice issue that Christians cannot ignore, writes Elizabeth Haswell.
In the wake of the PC(USA)'s condemnation of Christian nationalism, Matthew B. Warren explores how Presbyterians can love their country without confusing it with the kingdom of God.
As the Jinishian Memorial Program marks 60 years, Greg Allen Pickett explores what its long commitment to local leadership and civic formation can teach the church about mission.
Whitney Wilkinson Arreche remembers the Rev. Dr. So Jung Kim as a holy agitator whose passion for ecumenism and everyday theology left ongoing ripples.
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