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The church speaks in tongues

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Guest commentary by Andrew Taylor-Troutman The church speaks in tongues. I know you immediately think of what’s known as glossolalia, the strange utterance of an unknown language made famous by Pentecostals. But all churches speak many languages. There is the Hello!-How-do-you-do? chit-chat in parking lots, whether paved or gravel, which are rhythmic exchanges between friends and strangers. This tongue spreads into the pews. (Hopefully, not during the prelude!) Perhaps topics such as sports are batted around. Surely the finer points of whether it has rained too much or too little are discussed. And– if we are honest – there is also gossip.Originally, the word was godsibb, which meant God and kin (like a sibling). But gossip has come to mean slander and the Bible warns against this speech for reasons painfully clear to anyone who has ever been shamed by a Christian brother or sister. Two of the holiest words from our tongues are: I’m sorry. Also: Help me. Yes, all … [Read more...]

Tagged With: Pentecost

Inferno

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Blood runs in the streets. Where shall we place the blame when blood is blood, and death is death? We descend into the flame. “Abandon hope, ye who enter.” We did that long ago, it seems. Lucifer is our landlord; we mortgage our bedraggled dreams. Rage is our handmaiden and violence our chosen part. We know these paths; the weary way from Ferguson to Charlotte And on, God help us, on and on to killing fields as yet unknown. Shoot first and question later is the moral of the gun. When we look into another’s eyes and see their hate or fear, is it not our own reflection that seems to us most clear? PAUL HOOKER is a teaching elder member of New Covenant Presbytery and associate dean for ministerial formation and advanced studies at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. … [Read more...]

To mothers

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A Mother's Day guest commentary by Sam Codington Mothers, I think, are very much like the Christian image for God. There are only two women about whom I can speak, really, but perhaps some of what is true about them may ring true of others. The first is the woman who gave birth to me and raised me, and the second is the woman who agreed to partner with me in life. These two women, these two mothers, have shown me how little I understand life and how much I have to be grateful for. My mom grew up in Brazil as a middle child in a large family. Perhaps that is why she has always had a sense of adventure and tenacity. Her intensity, intelligence and resilience are traits that began forming me before I had the capacity to articulate them. As soon as words began to flow, I came to realize my words were outmatched. Some of the earliest words from her I remember are “obedience” (of course) and “initiative.” Those, I think, are probably good words for children to learn. She gave me … [Read more...]

Launching the Arabic translation of “Perspectives on the World Christian Movement”

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Guest commentary  A book on Christian mission that took 10 years to translate is now available in Arabic. In March, the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo (ETSC) hosted a book launching for the Arabic translation of “Perspectives on the World Christian Movement.” A crowd of about 150 heard speeches by Atef Gendy, ETSC's president; Steve Hawthorne, the book’s general editor; Dan McNerney, a representative of Presbyterian Frontier Fellowship, which helped to fund the translation; and Swillem Hennein, the translation supervisor. “Perspectives on the World Christian Movement” is a collection of 136 articles on the subject of mission.  The English version, published by the William Carey Library, is set in two columns and comes to 768 narratives pages.  The Arabic version (published by ETSC) is a two-volume set plus a study guide.  The total number of pages comes to 1,531.  Two thousand copies of the “Perspectives”text have been printed along with 1000 copies of the study … [Read more...]

Sharing: A spiritual practice for Easter people in Eastertide

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Guest commentary by Lee Hinson-Hasty Resources for Eastertide starting with Acts 4:32-35 It’s true that Christians have traditionally taken on Lenten practices in preparation for baptism and remembrance of baptism on Easter. Some of those disciplines continue after Easter for many of us — like New Year’s resolutions that stick (if we’re lucky!). What if we also had 50 days of Eastertide practices and disciplines in preparation for Pentecost, the birth of the movement we call the church? My first nominee would be sharing as any have need. As I was finishing college, one of my mentors and former director of Christian education, Joan Miles, gave me Robert Fulghum’s blockbuster 1989 book, “All I Ever Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.” The message was clear, as I started adult life on my own, not to forget what mattered. That started with learning to share. Readings from the Acts of the Apostles regularly show up in the Revised Common Lectionary in the Sundays after … [Read more...]

Tagged With: Eastertide

Woodwork

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It’s about the blood — joining boards at angles, edges are negotiations, prone to pinch, and nails pierce like talking points, splinters burn like lightning beneath the skin — red stains in the palms of hands. It’s about the blood — a lifetime of little cuts saw-blade nicks chisel slips on turning lathes scrapes from roughened surfaces in rapid motion, currency to pay for chalices and tables, for chair legs in church parlors, and for crosses. Always crosses. It’s about the blood smeared on every lintel, doorpost, pulpit, pew — forensic faithfulness: a wound for every wonder. Impassive as a judge’s smile, the paschal lamb has nothing more to say after the planer’s blade has smoothed the ragged faces of the cross, and with every hammer-blow the blood sinks deeper in the heartwood unseen and silent, until all that’s left is argument, quid pro quo. Leave the dead behind in the night when angels pass, and head for parted water. But it’s about the … [Read more...]

Tagged With: Holy Week

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