A poem by Scott Barton responding to Lamentations 1:1–6; 3:19–26 and Luke 17:5–10.
How can U.S. churches think beyond capitalistic motivations when they are so entrenched in society? Pittsburgh Theological Seminary Professor Scott Hagley points to the Eucharist as a starting point for our collective imagination.
As Eliza Jaremko sends her eldest daughter off to kindergarten, she reflects that learning never stops — the church is proof of that.
College chaplain Maggie Alsup reflects on how her anxiety followed her throughout her education and the kindness of certain teachers that granted her perspective.
Newly-ordained Molly Smerko reflects on the week shortly after her ordination that included presiding at a wedding, the Lord’s Table and a funeral.
Union Presbyterian Seminary Doctor of Ministry student David Bonnema explores best practices for planting and funding new worshipping communities.
Karie Charlton shares the short prayer that buoyed her spirits as a music teacher at a Catholic school and continues to shape her today.
In response to a string of violent attacks in her hometown, Anne Apple questions God and finds comfort – both communal and divine – in a memorial run.
In light of the recent Supreme Court ruling affirming prayer in public schools, Andrew Taylor Troutman reflects on his high school baseball team’s pregame ritual of saying the Lord’s Prayer.
Pastor and writer Kathleen Long Bostrom reflects on the lessons Bridge to Terabithia contains for her life and the recent call to ban it. Can we build a bridge to understanding, she wonders?
Jay Blossom appreciates theologians like William Willimon and Stanley Hauerwas who argue against state religion and Christian nationalism. And yet, something deeply moved him about Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral on Monday.
In honor of Banned Books Week, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary alum Luke Hillier reflects on Toni Morrison’s Sula, sharing the lessons the book taught him as a 17-year-old and teaches him today.
While wrestling with depression and a lack of clarity in her faith, Rev. Molly Smerko asks a friend, “How did you get unstuck?”. The resulting year of exploring spiritual practices has grounded her in a new way.
Neal D. Presa, a teaching elder of the Presbytery of San Diego and a delegate of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to the 11th Assembly of the World Council of Churches, shares his thoughts.
Rather than being suspicious of other viewpoints, Aaron Neff has learned to embrace disparity as a potential vehicle for the Holy Spirit.
Dodd-Sterling United Methodist Church and St. Luke's Presbyterian respond to their community's food insecurity while caring for one another.
PC(USA) minister at large Janice Stamper shares an account of the devastation following a major flood in July. She encounters death, loss, destruction, and glimpses of God’s presence too.
Whether it was struggling with reading as a first grader or wrestling with Hebrew as a seminarian, Rebecca Gresham’s education taught her that she can do hard things, even if it requires multiple attempts and some failure. This is a lesson she brings to her ministry: There is always a way forward.
Ashley Brown spent a month with her beloved, dying grandmother before she passed. In this essay, she reflects on their conversations about death and the unending gift of love.
"If a church’s vitality is measured less by what it takes in (people or dollars) and more by what it gives out (meeting needs outside its walls), the downturn in Sunday service attendance could become a catalyst for greater vitality," writes Sheldon W. Sorge.
Responding to an article previously published by the Outlook, Lee Hinson-Hasty ponders the future of pastoral leadership. Are we asking the right questions? Are we looking at the right data? Are we investing in future leaders?
Thomas Wesley Moore IV was called to be an interim pastor within five years of his ordination. He shares why working with churches in transition is important.
College chaplain Jeremy Wilhelmi encourages college students to be curious as they claim their own faith, often for the first time.
Julie Raffety, a minister of Word and Sacrament, shares her experience as a female pastor, why it makes her angry some days, and how God calls her to fight for something better.
Rev. Elana Keppel Levy shares how one high school class taught her about the judgments she made about others.
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