Often, when I hear a biblical word used out of context with modern, cultural meaning attached to it, I think to myself, in the words of Inigo Montoya from “The Princess Bride,” “I do not think that word means what you think it means.” One such word is hope, which today is used much like the word “wish,” as if there is something that we would like to see happen, but we really don’t know if it will. In faith-sharing... Read more
By The Rev. Dr. John T. Mathew The theme of the 11th Assembly of the World Council of Churches (August 31 – September 8, 2022 Karlsruhe, Germany) is all about how “Jesus’ love moves the world to reconciliation and unity”. Predictably themes designed for such global events are ornate, even overblown words – here the source of the theme is Jesus’ love. Jesus’ love has power to generate energy, hope, compassion and generosity in this world where we must deal... Read more
By Dayne Batten Christian teaching on sex and relationships is in crisis. Believers on both sides of the evangelical/progressive divide are rapidly reaching the conclusion that the purity movement of the 1990s and early 2000s caused a lot of harm. But this growing rejection of “purity culture” is leaving behind an alarming gap. After all, we still need to talk to our young people about singleness, sex, relationships, and marriage. We might need to do so now more than ever,... Read more
By James Werning We criticize unfair judicial courts with their biased witnesses, and yet we turn a blind eye to prejudice slander in our news sources. My experience has shown this to be true. For many years I was an outspoken critic of media bias on the other side of the issues, while ignoring my own biases. I simply stopped thinking critically when I heard truth-claims that aligned with my worldview. No matter where we stand on the issues, we... Read more
By Rev. Dr. John T. Mathew The day of Pentecost – commemorated on Sunday, June 5, 2022 – is an anniversary celebration of fun with flashes and flickers of a noise from the sky mindful of a howling wind that filled the whole house where unnerved believers were ready and waiting long ago. What an eyepopping pageant of the tongues of fire that spread out and touched every person there! This was a highly praised experience when the Holy One... Read more
By Sophia A. Nelson The church is facing a serious mental health and wellness crisis in the United States right now. As we end “Mental Health Awareness Month,” following the horrific shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde Texas, and the gut-wrenching revelations about sex abuse in the Southern Baptist church. I think it’s fair to say that our focus on mental health right now is likely more significant today, to more people, than ever before. And the church is... Read more
By Susannah Cragwick When I was about ten or eleven years old, my neighbor gently told me not to preach to her, not to witness to her and, by doing so, she set my spirit free. She began within me a sacred healing process where I am finding the freedom to lean unashamedly into my own identity and definitions of what it means to love as Christ loved. Because of her gentleness and authenticity as well as her courage to... Read more
By Katie Kelaidis Christ is Risen! As you are reading this, the Orthodox (or one might say Old Calendar) Easter has passed. The Lenten fast and the beautiful, but also grueling and frankly sometimes boring, liturgical remembrances of the Passion and Resurrection are over. There is nothing left in a theological and liturgical sense but an empty tomb. But I am writing this on Great and Holy Friday (“Good Friday” in the Western tradition), the day which commemorates Christ’s crucifixion... Read more
Join hands virtually with our brothers and sisters in Eastern Europe. Write a prayer or post a video; let them know they’re not alone in their prayers. Read more
Proverbs 28:8: “Whoever increases wealth by taking interest or profit from the poor amasses it for another, who will be kind to the poor.” Unmanageable debt is always unadvisable. Even in old times, people avoided debt as much as possible. In the Bible, debt is regarded as a sin since you serve two masters when you are in debt. And, you need to have only one master – God. Therefore, it is better to avoid unmanageable debt and repay debt... Read more
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