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.
Empathy is the heart of our covenantal relationship with one another, proclaims Chris Henry.
Rubén Arjona writes on how empathy allows us to imagine the other person’s feelings, thoughts and experiences.
Against a backdrop of infinite possibilities and imagined cyber-immortality, the church dares to say something unfashionable: “You are dust.”
Charlie Berthoud recounts his son’s 4,000-mile charity bike ride from Virginia to California and witnessing remarkable generosity — especially from church communities along the journey.
"Train Dreams" asks how we endure loss, accept mystery and remain attentive to beauty, writes Brendan McLean.
Alfred Walker shares how a 1989 letter from a man who was imprisoned opened a path for ministry.
Keanu Heydari pens a response to Charles Wiley’s “Why the PC(USA)’s Book of Confessions is too long — and how to fix it.”
Chris Burton offers a wide-ranging theological conversation on Kendrick Lamar’s music, tracing how doubt, trauma, faith and responsibility shape one of hip-hop’s most searching moral voices.
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.
Mathew Frease frames empathy as a radical, Christ-centered practice that connects people, transforms relationships, and expands our capacity for justice across difference.
Chris Burton traces Clipse’s catalog as testimony — where survivor’s guilt, grace, and honesty refuse easy narratives.
Teri McDowell Ott reflects on Leslie Jamison's “The Empathy Exams” to show that real empathy isn’t about fixing pain, but choosing to truly see and understand it.
An Ash Wednesday lament by Jennifer L. Aycock that names death, grief, and the ashes we carry into Lent.
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.
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.
In this episode, Chris Burton explores how Rapsody pairs uncompromising lyricism with a lived commitment to community, mentoring young artists, and investing in others as an act of faithful formation.
What do we do when Jesus feels absent — and the work feels impossible? Kate Murphy offers a reflection and some hope.
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.
Tim Hart-Andersen argues that church vitality is not about relentless growth but about long-term sustainability and Spirit-filled adaptation.
Amid PC(USA) decline, a new church growth network reframes growth as faithful, sustainable mission rooted in vitality, not gimmicks, writes Josh Erickson.
Chris Burton explores how Hill’s music wrestles with faith, integrity and fame — and why refusing to “lose your soul” may be her greatest legacy.
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.
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