These are difficult days that we lead the church in, at least in some ways. There are moments I tell my wife that I would have never chosen to be a minister at this particular time and place, a time of social upheaval and changing values, a time when the church seems to be in…
Clergy Political Activism: When should we get involved?
Churches and clergy are supposed to be politically non-partisan. Sometimes clergy are able to participate in politics as individuals (such as voting), but for the most part, they are to refrain from partisan politics. We serve the King of Kings, and represent his Church, not a particular party. Our mission and calling is to proclaim…
How to Pray for the New President
I watched a bit of the Inauguration ceremonies. If our new President wants to Make America Great Again, he started with a whole lot of God and Country patriotism that frankly, was moving to me in a sentimental way. I am a baby-boomer. A child of the 60’s before and after the country changed for…
Where We Are Going Is Where We Have Been
Where are we heading as the church? In some ways the best map to get there is where we have already been, a very long time ago. The Jesus message spread quickly throughout the culture of the ancient Roman world. When we look closer, we see that it wasn’t because the church was based on…
Be the Church: Facing Nominalism
Recently, we were told that the Christian church in America is “hemorrhaging members” and that the church is shrinking. It is true that the number of Americans who claim to be Christian is shrinking. However, as usual, Ed Stetzer provides some real clarity in his interpretation of statistics. Turns out that people are not so much “leaving church” as they…
Catechesis 3: On Building a Culture
Wendell Berry, in his 1977 book The Unsettling of America, argued that agribusiness was taking the practice of farming out of its cultural context and away from families. It was a prophetic work, and in the years since, we have seen continued decline in family farming in favor of a system that devalues community and…
Pastoring a Church in a Time of War
Leading a congregation in a time of war is a particular challenge. Passions and fears in the parish can run high and hot. People will worry about their children and other members of their family in service overseas. Political differences between members may roil across church meetings. Even prayers can be politically charged with partisan…
Christmas & The Holidays
In order to navigate this in our own culture, it might be helpful for us to see “the holidays” as distinct from “Christmas.”
