There were not infrequent times in ministry when I found myself overwhelmed with a kind of cosmic grief. It wasn’t depression —..
Our schools, like our churches and our ministers, have no clear conceptions of what they are doing but are carrying on traditional..
I have now been on the other side of the pulpit for six months. My overwhelming response to this new vantage point is..
It is that most wonderful time of the church year: stewardship season! If your congregation is like most, fall is the time..
John, the parish associate at my first call, was a person I admired greatly and from whom I learned a lot. He..
My persistent worry with every Vacation Bible School service project, every Thanksgiving spent serving at the soup kitchen, every Habitat build and mission..
Colored sand. Doves. Unity candles. Swords. Flower petals. Satin pillows. Screaming young children. Bagpipes. String quartets. CD players. Complicated seating charts. Converse..
As the 2016 presidential election cranks up the issue of mass incarceration is taking center stage. There is surprising bipartisan support for..
In 1959, shortly after his election, Pope John XXIII called the church council that became Vatican II. Pope John called for an..
I don’t know what you think of The New York Times columnist David Brooks, but I am betting you may have read..
I am paddling my way through a long book. “Far From the Tree” by Andrew Solomon explores identity by studying families where..
A commencement is a beginning, and like all beginnings, it is combined with an ending. This season of gowns and tassels brings with..
It was late. The prophets, both major and minor, were running together. Elisha, Elijah. Zephaniah, Zechariah. Amos, Hosea, Habakkuk. Index cards littered..
“ … and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in..
I have been a pastor in National Capital Presbytery for 39 years. Of all the things I have observed during that time,..
When I started in the ministry way, way back in 1974, I don’t think I ever heard of an interim pastor. Over..
Over the past 40 years, I have preached controversial sermons on race, sexuality, war and justice. But no sermon caused me so..
I simply do not know enough about the diversion of PC(USA) money to the Presbyterian Centers for New Church Development, Inc. to..
Trying to control security leaks during World War II, the U.S. government made posters warning, “Loose Lips Sink Ships.” I think we..
When I talk with younger clergy, they frequently ask me: “Is your generation ever going to retire?” The frustration in the questioners..
The Spanish verb esperar means both waiting and hoping, two key words in this Advent season. When I am in our second..
Let me tell you about my family. Addiction runs through our veins, entitlement reigns in our thoughts and we are prone to..
What is surprising about the tragedy in Ferguson is that we are surprised. Week after week, we see stories and statistics that..
Dear Friends of The Presbyterian Outlook,It is with great joy and enthusiasm that I write to share that earlier this month, the board..
I am convinced that the membership statistics Louisville releases each year are not the most useful way to judge where we are..
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