Maryland is thinking about letting gays and lesbians get married.
A century ago, the geographic center of Christianity was in Europe and North America.
First, a disclaimer: I am happily married to a person whose vocation is sociology of religion.
Correction:
In the story, “In Pakistan, an island of clarity amid a sea of mixed messages” (pub. Jan 26), David Stoner was identified as former interim director of the General Assembly Council. He actually was the executive director. Also, Christy Munir did not teach at Gordon College but was chair of the chemistry department of Qaid-I Azim University. He was selected to become chairman of the board for Gordon College if the PC(USA) finally takes back the school.
Check the Amazon.com listings of recent books about Pakistan and you will perceive a theme: “The Unraveling …, ” “Descent into Chaos,” “ … the World’s Most Frightening State,” “Deadly Embrace …, ” “ … the Hard Country.”
With Living Waters for the World’s vacation bible school (VBS) curriculum, “Clean Water for All God’s Children!,” attendees will not go on safari or to the rain forest or on a sea cruise or have a space adventure. What they will do is learn about the miracle of clean water. And have the opportunity to provide clean water for some of God’s children.
Martin Luther’s footsteps are all over Germany — where he preached, prayed and inspired people to think about God in a new way.
Travel in Germany and the phrase “in former times” becomes almost a refrain. It can mean, depending on the context, during World War II, during the Communist era that divided the country for more than 40 years, during the Nazi regime which so scarred the country, or during an even longer stretch of history leading back to medieval times.
Once upon a time, in the 1600s, Martin Luther was a best-selling author in Europe. And his rise in popularity was connected to a technological revolution of the time: Johannes Gutenberg’s development of the printing press.
Exactly how Presbyterians would rank the top news of 2011 in the denomination, and how they would characterize what happened, will depend on their perspective. Here’s an effort to recap some of the biggest developments of the year. Feel free to make your own list.
Here I will confess, if that’s the appropriate word, I myself am a lapsed Presbyterian. It’s the diction that did it, finally, the worn-thin, shabby, church-poor words, so overused they connote to me a poverty of spirit, not the richness of it.
— E.L. Doctorow, The Waterworks
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