From Dolly Parton to The Grateful Dead, Bluey to Brandon Lake — Outlook readers shared the songs anchoring their hope, prayer and daily life.
Bob Dylan wanted to keep things simple. His fans wanted more. — Luke Esteban
Chris Burton digs into the gospel roots, gratitude, controversy and God-consciousness woven through GloRilla’s music.
Music is protest and praise — from Miriam to Mary, Dylan to Doechii. The prophets of song remind us: art is not luxury, it’s testimony and hope, writes Alex Evangelista.
Chris Burton reads Tupac’s catalog as street-level theology — lament and hope in conversation with Scripture — and asks what Pac’s “ghetto gospel” still demands of the church today.
Long before "Wicked" soared across stage and screen, L. Frank Baum’s world carried a political pulse. The new film reminds us that Oz’s magic has always included questions of power, propaganda, and resistance, writes Michael Parker.
Dolly Parton is the rhinestone-clad prophet we need in our polarized times. — Lindy Vogado
Theologians David Jensen, Martha Moore-Keish and Hanna Reichel reflect on the joy, challenge and urgency of forming faithful thinkers today — and why words still matter.
DMX prayed, lamented, and wrestled with God in public. Chris Burton traces the theology inside the music—justice, repentance, endurance, grace. Listen now.
From gym anthems to humming hymns in a new church pew — music grounds us, lifts us, and reminds us we never sing alone, writes Teri McDowell Ott.
Ever left a friend in text message purgatory? You’re not alone. Katy Shevel explores how to turn unread texts into intentional friendship — one promise at a time.
When an injury stopped Maggie Alsup in her tracks during Holy Week, she began to see her ministry — and her body — in a new light.
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.
Andrew Taylor-Troutman explores a “living theology” shaped by attention — to creation, to one another, and to the holy particularities that make us who we are.
Theologian Jürgen Moltmann’s work encourages joyful participation in God’s redeeming love. — Steffen Lösel
Karie Charlton shares how God's love can meet us in unexpected places.
Hannah Lovaglio explores pop music as prayer, falling in love while the world falls apart, and why even “shallow” petitions might be sacred.
Process theology reframes suffering, change and God’s presence — offering freedom, agency and hope in a world where everything is becoming, writes Monica Coleman.
Gustavo Gutiérrez challenged the church to see God among all people, especially the poor — not in theory, but in lived commitment, writes Leo Guardado.
Theology isn’t solo work — it’s a 2,000-year conversation. Meet past and present voices shaping faith in the October 2025 Presbyterian Outlook.
Disability theology invites us to reconsider how Scripture portrays impairment — not as tragedy or sin, but as part of God’s own life, writes Lisa Powell.
Daniel J. Ott explores how theology moves from ideas to action in real communities.
As seminaries and religious studies programs shrink, the responsibility to nurture theological imagination is shifting to our congregations. Are our churches ready, asks Teri McDowell Ott?
Churches in two small Kansas towns wondered what was missing. Now, a library, an after-school program and a daycare center are making their communities stronger. — Catherine Neelly Burton
Merideth Hite Estevez reflects on faith, parenting, and finding communion with God amid brokenness.
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