When pastoral calls falter, “fit” is often blamed. But the deeper issue is clarity. What if “fit” could be defined, tested and faithfully discerned before a call is extended, asks Gary Noonan?
Jesus spoke constantly about the Kingdom of God, yet many Christians struggle to define it. Sara Pantazes offers four questions to clarify how Kingdom citizenship shapes our lives today.
Well-meaning words can unintentionally deepen isolation in grief. Mathew Frease explores why platitudes fail and how presence and listening offer something more faithful.
A once-quiet question is resurfacing across the denomination. According to Christian Boyd, it could shape how the church calls and equips leaders in the years ahead.
Lent invites honest self-examination — not just of personal sin, but communal harm. Katrina Pekich-Bundy explores what "America’s Next Top Model" reveals about complicity, silence and repentance.
Churches destroyed. Pastors detained. Communities displaced. The crisis facing Christians in Burma demands more than concern — it calls for sustained U.S. action.
What does it feel like when a ministry you love comes to an end? Karie Charlton reflects on grief, relief and the quiet work of trusting God in seasons of transition.
Josh Robinson’s choice to wear Converse sneakers in worship reveals how approachability, embodiment and ancient tradition can work together in pastoral care.
Brandon R. Grafius offers a Lenten reflection on Joshua, Psalm 137 and Uzzah — and why troubling passages may deepen faith rather than diminish it.
In a culture shaped by algorithms and polarization, March Madness creates something rare: a temporary “we,” writes Brittany Porch.
They are dying. And they are faithful. Brenda Monroe Moten shares what she tells elderly Christians in troubled times.
A community vigil reveals how small acts of presence can resist fear and restore our shared humanity, writes Maggie Alsup.
A church quoted Bad Bunny. The comments turned combative. What followed led Trip Porch to think about Jesus and Nicodemus … and what faithful engagement looks like in the digital age.
Against a backdrop of infinite possibilities and imagined cyber-immortality, the church dares to say something unfashionable: “You are dust.”
"Train Dreams" asks how we endure loss, accept mystery and remain attentive to beauty, writes Brendan McLean.
At a time when trust feels fragile, a popular queer hockey romance reminds us that love can still be sincere, demanding and transformative, writes Brittany Porch.
Allie Beth Stuckey and Joe Rigney just want to make sure you're empathizing with those they deem worthy of empathy.
An Ash Wednesday lament by Jennifer L. Aycock that names death, grief, and the ashes we carry into Lent.
Charles Aden Wiley, III, offers a provocative proposal: shorten the Book of Confessions to make it more accessible, usable and formational for the whole church.
Rural churches are not just “small.” They are profoundly local, relational and vital to the PC(USA)’s witness, writes Phillip Blackburn.
On a winter morning, seeds are scattered, tea is poured, and patience becomes prayer. Barbara Chaapel offers a poem about the quiet truth that giving sustenance sustains us.
In the “Stranger Things” finale, scars remain, grief lingers, and life goes on. Timothy Wotring explores a hope shaped by choice, community and resurrection faith.
Daniel Heath remembers Richard Smallwood, whose music taught the church how to pray, lament and hope.
Can we love our country and still tell the truth about its power? Greg Allen-Pickett reflects on U.S. involvement in Latin America — holding gratitude and grief, critique and hope, under the call of Christian discipleship.
‘Marty Supreme’ is an excellent film about a despicable confidence man. It perfectly reflects our historical moment, writes Jana Riess.
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