Intergenerational “children’s messages”
The children’s time is the hardest part of worship. I stress about making that message meaningful far more than I worry about..
Latest Posts
Giving Peace a Chance: GA Moderator Rada Joins Boulder Interfaith Peace Walk
BOULDER, COLORADO (PNS) So, an iman, a rabbi, and a Presbyterian minister met in a parking lot… To be precise, they met on..
Presbyterian Mission Agency Board kicks off meeting with optimism, reconciliation directive
LOUISVILLE – With the hit song “Happy” serving as the soundtrack for one of the videos played, an upbeat, optimistic attitude about..
Letter to the president in support of sanctuary and in hope of administrative relief
LOUISVILLE (PNS) The Reverend Gradye Parsons, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly, wrote a letter to the President of the United States in..
Experiencing ‘the church in action’ – Peggy Rada, spouse and traveling partner of Moderator Heath Rada, finds her niche
LOUISVILLE (PNS) The fall travel schedule looks packed for Heath Rada, moderator of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s 221st General Assembly. His itinerary includes..
Yale chaplain’s resignation reflects larger mainline tensions over Israel
(RNS) When an Episcopal chaplain at Yale University seemed to suggest that Jews were culpable for Israel’s actions against Palestinians and a related..
Historic civil rights church to be considered for national recognition
(RNS) The West Hunter Street Baptist Church in Atlanta, where the Rev. Ralph Abernathy Sr. and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr...
Romans 12:1-2 and the purpose of theological education
“Intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character — that is the goal of true education.” Martin Luther King Jr. was only a..
Battling Ebola with prayer and accurate information
LOUISVILLE (PNS) When Quianaca Wesseh called his son, mother, and sister in Liberia’s Maryland County last week, he urged them not to go..
The secret to awesome children’s ministry
Of all of the mythical ways to grow a church (Start a contemporary worship service! Call a pastor with a young family!..
Seminaries & the church: Moving forward
The number one goal at summer camp for my teenage son, Garrison, was to skipper a Lightning, a 19-foot-long fully rigged sailing..
Regarding ruling elders: Finding your voice as a ruling elder
LOUISVILLE (PNS) “The same Spirit who inspired the prophets and apostles ... calls women and men to all ministries of the Church”..
Why same-sex marriage is expected to heat up this election among evangelicals
(RNS) As more states affirm same-sex marriage, U.S. evangelicals continue to wrestle with homosexuality, setting boundaries for what’s acceptable and what’s not,..
U.S. Ebola survivor donates his blood to another stricken missionary
(RNS) An American physician who contracted Ebola while working in a West African hospital has received a blood transfusion from another American..
Back to the pastorate
I never intended to earn a Masters of Divinity degree. As a 24-year-old, nondenominational fundapentacharisgelical, my faith mentors and peers disdained the..
Going solar in West Virginia
SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.V. (PNS) Presbyterian church in West Virginia just got 60 solar energy panels installed on its roof for $1, thanks to a..
Harriet Beecher Stowe: A Spiritual Life
by Nancy Koester William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Mich. 371 pages The Antebellum Period of the 1840s and 50s in..
Permitting the polarization to polarize us
Guest commentary from Todd McCoy Perhaps many of you have been pondering the same question I have: “Given the ongoing polarization of..
“In Defense of Christians” seeks to protect brethren from Egypt to Iraq
(RNS) Watching ancient Christian communities stand nearly defenseless as Islamic militants roll across swaths of the Middle East, coalitions of Christians are banding together to sound..
Seeking forgiveness in Hudson River Presbytery
SCARBOROUGH, N.Y. (PNS) "I am here to ask for forgiveness from the presbytery and particularly those members of it who I harmed by..
When Stewardship Is an Act of Public Witness
LOUISVILLE (PNS) The New Testament portrays a church composed primarily of the poor, the powerless, the outcast. Paul reminds the Corinthians: “Not..
Grace Presbytery, Highland Park Presbyterian Church settle lawsuit
DALLAS (PNS) Highland Park Presbyterian Church here will pay $7.8 million to Grace Presbytery in order to obtain both a release of its..
Coming to America: From Bollywood to Hollywood — listening to God’s missionary call
PASADENA, CALIF – “I was 18 years old when God called me to America,” explained Sam Theophylus, born in Hyderabad, India. “I didn’t know what it..
It’s a sin to bore a kid
I was at a presbytery meeting recently, and, because all of our options for childcare fell through, I brought my 10-year-old son..
Multicultural church for the real world
Most American churches have sought to diversify their membership in recent decades so that that the 21st century faith community would better..
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