Presbyterians mourn the loss of Pope Francis
Stated Clerk and Executive Director offers thanks for the life and witness of the pope.
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Sacred spaces (May 11, 2025)
2 Chronicles 7 invites reflection on sacred spaces that reveal God’s glory, beauty, and enduring love across time and place.
Order of worship — May 11, 2025
You are welcome to use this liturgy in your online worship services and distribute it to your congregation.
Fourth Sunday of Easter — May 11, 2025
On Mother’s Day and the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Teri McDowell Ott reflects on Tabitha’s story and the vital, often unseen, work of women.
Discussion guide for April 2025 issue
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.
“I thank God every time I remember you”
Phillip Blackburn offers a reflection on joy, memory, and the enduring gift of spiritual relationships within the church, even amid burnout, conflict, and change.
Meet the ‘papabile’: The likely contenders to become the next pope
A slate of conservative, transitional and progressive candidates to replace Francis.
Finding the funny
Can we laugh when life feels heavy? Michael J. Goodwin explores joy, stand-up comedy, and the healing power of humor in a hurting world.
Hospitality or hierarchy? Fourth Presbyterian, Chicago, reckons with its past
Justin Myers shares how a recent discovery prompted him to wrestle with complicity, memory, and conformity.
Grace Presbytery receives Lilly Grant
Grace Presbytery has received a grant of $1.25 million dollars from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help establish Renewed Grace: Transforming Worship Practices with Neurodivergent Children.
Stated Clerk Jihyun Oh on leadership, cuts, and accountability
Outlook Editor/Publisher Teri McDowell Ott sat down with Stated Clerk Jihyun Oh to discuss public statements, program cuts, and leadership decisions.
Stewards of sacred space: The story of John Knox Ranch’s conservation
Henry and Emily Owen share how John Knox Ranch secured its future through a conservation easement, protecting sacred land for faith formation, nature, and generations to come.
Ode to Everything
"Enough of the lamentations./ Open the window and sing!" — Marjorie Maddox
Pope Francis, charismatic reformer and disruptor, dies at 88
Francis leaves behind him a church still divided, but radically transformed.
Order of worship — May 4, 2025
You are welcome to use this liturgy in your online worship services and distribute it to your congregation.
Third Sunday of Easter — May 4, 2025
When faced with the extraordinary, will we choose transformation or retreat? Andy Greenhow offers a reflection on Easter hope, Acts 9, John 21, Psalm 30—and "The Big Lebowski."
The scroll and the lamb (April 27, 2025)
In Revelation 5, John proclaims Jesus—not Caesar—as Lord, calling believers to bold, holy resistance against tyrannical forces, writes Mark Hinds.
Why did Jesus die? Churches grapple with the mystery of atonement
In recent decades, some Christians have moved away from the theory of penal substitutionary atonement, which summons up the idea of an angry God who needs to be appeased.
Appreciate These Things: Eight Ways of Cultivating Compassion
How can we preserve our tender hearts yet be vulnerable enough to engage with the “other” in this current climate? Amy Pagliarella reviews Jill Duffield's new book.
The many lives of Stony Point Center
Christian Iosso reflects on Stony Point Center's 75 years of faith, friendship and formation — and their recent anniversary celebration.
The joy and sadness of Holy Week
Holy Week invites us to hold joy and sadness together—reminding us that Easter’s hope is richer when we don’t skip past the sorrow that precedes it, writes Maggie Alsup.
Theology in the Mode of Monk: An Aesthetics of Barth and Cone on Revelation and Freedom
"Carr’s project helps us more fully see, hear (and be challenged by) Barth and Cone in the fullness of their thought and the long polyphonic arc of its development," writes Derek Elmi-Buursma of Raymond Carr's new book.
Bearers of delight: Lent’s subversive call to joy
Lent invites us into a countercultural vocation of joy, writes Jess Rigel.
Mrs. Brown’s lessons on joy
Up a set of broken steps and behind a door needing paint, Mary Austin encounters a guru of joy.
Order of worship — April 27, 2025
You are welcome to use this liturgy in your online worship services and distribute it to your congregation.
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