Editor’s Note: this article is adapted from the original essay by Margit Ernst-Habib that appears in Conversations with the Confessions: Dialogue in the Reformed Confessions edited by Joseph Small. Copyright 2005, Geneva Press.
One of the enduring legacies of the Theological Declaration of Barmen is the way in which it makes explicit what is implicit in all confessions of faith: every Yes entails a No.
There is a tendency within American Christianity to see the Confessing Church, with the Theological Declaration of Barmen as its founding document, as a righteous remnant bravely rejecting the evil Nazi state.1 The story, however, is more complex than a simple binary of good and evil.
Editor’s note: This article was prepared for the magazine before the Central Intelligence Agency documents were released by the U.S. Department of Justice, providing detailed information on the legal opinions related to interrogation/torture practices.
College Hill Church in Cincinnati, Ohio, took “Black History Month” from the February page of the calendar to the pages of its congregation’s hearts and minds. In the process, our members and the larger community re-wrote both history and expectations for the future.
In times of global apartheid and neo-liberalism, an unlikely relationship between two seemingly diverse organizations has come together.
The bishop of Madison, Wis., fired a female church worker with 35 years of service after reading a few paragraphs of her master’s comprehensive exams. She wrote about inclusive language — using female and male metaphors to explain God — and earned a Master of Divinity degree.
I’ve been thinking about the “Susan Boyle” phenomenon: you know, the video seemingly everyone in America has now watched.
Consistent and accurate metrics can provide two overarching benefits.
Five faith leaders from Postville, Iowa, held a telephone news conference May 11 to commemorate the first anniversary of the traumatic immigration raids in their community May 12, 2008, and to call for greater awareness of the humanitarian and spiritual issue of immigration in the United States.
“Angels and Demons” is based on Dan Brown’s book by the same name, which was actually the prequel to “The Da Vinci Code.”
(ENI) --The 21st century world cannot be understood without understanding religion, says U.S. religion journalist and professor, Gustav Niebuhr.
(ENI) -- In the city where the Bible records Jesus' family living 2000 years ago, Pope Benedict XVI reaffirmed the "sacredness" of a marriage between "a man and a woman."
Meet Brett Wilson: child of the church, committed Christian and Presbyterian, rising senior at James Madison University, aspiring journalist in training. AND..
Presumably, you don’t even have to acknowledge anymore the borrowed idea of the appearance of three ghosts: Past, Present, and Future, or cite “The Christmas Carol,” or give any reference to Charles Dickens or his estate or his descendants.
JERUSALEM — (ENI) The grand mufti of Jerusalem has protested that the Israeli authorities prevented his meeting with journalists taking place at a hotel in East Jerusalem. The press conference was held in an open field.
During its second broadcast, the new “God Complex” radio show, a brand-new, bicoastal Internet radio venture featuring General Assembly moderator Bruce Reyes-Chow and blogger Carol Howard Merritt, took on the question of whether small churches can continue to afford an educated clergy.
The blessing-curse of a reputation is that we tend to live up to it.
Numbers don’t show everything, but sometimes the big statistical picture can help explain some churches’ leadership matching dilemmas.
WASHINGTON — Advisers tapped to help guide the White House’s revamped faith-based office say their role is still evolving as the initiative expands its portfolio and tries to find its footing in the young Obama administration.
You’ve just hung up the phone and are shaking your head. Me teach Adult Church School? I don’t know enough to do that. I’m no expert on the Bible or theology. What were they thinking?”
You’ve been asked to teach Sunday School or a Bible study in your church.
As a Christian educator, the knowledge of human growth and faith developmental theories is imperative for writing appropriate lesson plans, crafting suitable sermons, and for best relating to your congregation.
Although published nearly 20 years ago, Generations by William Strauss and Neil Howe offers church leaders and educators a framework for understanding both those who are in and those who are out of our pews.
Family members may think that taking their children to Sunday School is their main act of Christian education, but what they do seven days a week is most critical.
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