Portraying Christianity In Cinema: Beyond Sentimentality And Stereotypes

Last updated on: January 28, 2020 at 10:16 pm By Clint Schnekloth

I’m not a movie critic. Most of my cinematic commentary amounts to: “I am watching this. I really liked this. I didn’t like this.” On the side of, “I don’t like this,” you can make a list of almost all the portrayals of Christianity in film. Christianity in film appears predominately in one of two formats. First, there are “Christian” movies. These movies are frequently sentimental, emotionally gut-wrenching but surprisingly shallow in their supposed depth. Here I’m thinking of 2019... Read more

Listening To Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale And The Testaments Back To Back

Last updated on: January 26, 2020 at 4:46 pm By Clint Schnekloth

During Christmas break, I spent the long drive to family in Iowa listening to Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale followed immediately by the Audible of The Testaments. A confession: although I read science fiction “religiously,” I sometimes skip the “literary” science fiction out of a kind of reverse hipster mentality. I’m more into the geek sci-fi. The mainstream stuff that everyone reads I snub my nose at. Perhaps “snub” is the wrong term. I just find I don’t get around... Read more

What is the gospel? Hint: It’s not what most Christians think it is

Last updated on: January 23, 2020 at 8:44 am By Clint Schnekloth

If you asked preachers and many Christians to name the “main thing” for the church, I bet they’d say it’s the gospel. But I wonder if they’re really thoughtful about what they believe the gospel signifies. For example, a lot of churches say the gospel is about accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Acceptance of this message is supposed to be the focus of preaching and teaching in the church The gospel is the main thing because the... Read more

For All Who Hunger: Searching for Communion In A Shattered World… A Review

Last updated on: January 10, 2020 at 12:59 pm By Clint Schnekloth

I apologize first for a bit of throat-clearing before we get to a review of For All Who Hunger. First, I have to tell you this photo I’m featuring to the left is from Emily’s book launch page, and it’s fantastic, most of all because it captures one of the spiritual gifts of this book, it’s self-effacing humor and joy. Second, I can’t not mention a few books-by-comparison, because this is a book by a pastor, about pastoring, and I am regularly... Read more

Best 15 Books About Being a Pastor

Last updated on: January 10, 2020 at 12:58 pm By Clint Schnekloth

There are many great books about pastoral ministry. Memoirs and autobiographies are particularly well-suited to this task. I offer this Top 15 list of books for supervisors and interns to consider reading together during the course of the year. All of them are rich in wisdom, grace, and faith. I’ve now moved to the top of my list a forthcoming work, Emily Scott’s For All Who Hunger: Searching for Communion In A Shattered World. It’s fantastic in that it sits... Read more

Which Should a Christian Use? Their Horoscope, Hogwart’s Sorting Hat, Or the Enneagram?

Last updated on: January 6, 2020 at 5:03 pm By Clint Schnekloth

For some reason that remains obscure to me, clergy and some church leaders have a particular fascination with personality inventories. I confess that for a time, in seminary, I was somewhat enamored of the Meyers-Briggs. I think I first took it at a church event in high school or college, and although it was intriguing, I could never quite remember if I was an ESTP or ENTJ, or what those even meant. Nevertheless, I had to take such inventories as... Read more

Hosting Shane Claiborne in 2020

Last updated on: January 6, 2020 at 12:35 pm By Clint Schnekloth

I first gained awareness of Shane Claiborne when he emerged as a leader in the gathering spirit of young people known as New Monasticism. If you are the NPR type, you’ll likely enjoy Krista Tippett’s early interview with him on On Being. It was around this time I had the chance to read The Irresistible Revolution: Living As An Ordinary Radical. The New Monastics published a “twelve marks” of New Monasticism, which included: Relocation to the “abandoned places of Empire”... Read more

ELCA presiding bishop responds to anti-Semitic incidents in New York

Last updated on: December 30, 2019 at 2:46 pm By Clint Schnekloth

ELCA presiding bishop responds to anti-Semitic incidents in New York 12/30/2019 9:25:00 AM December 30, 2019 Today is the last day of Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights commemorating the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. As our Jewish siblings lighted the menorah, they sang this blessing: We kindle these lights because of the wondrous deliverance You performed for our ancestors. During these eight days of Hanukkah, these lights are sacred; we are not to use them but only... Read more

The Top Ten Theological Stories Of 2019

Last updated on: December 27, 2019 at 12:11 pm By Clint Schnekloth

A look back at 2019 and the stories that most indicate how we are seeing God and the world in inter-relationship. 10. Kanye West Apparently Jesus is now a big deal among the pop stars. There were already major hints of this in 2019, with some kind of popular revival of church taking place all over L.A. The movie stars and musicians are getting Jesus, and Kanye West is leading the charge with the Sunday Service Experience. With the release... Read more

All I Want for Christmas is a Good Bible

Last updated on: December 19, 2019 at 8:46 pm By Clint Schnekloth

“What bible do you recommend I give as a gift for Christmas? My friend/family member wants a study bible.” This is a frequent question I (and perhaps other) pastors field. Lately, my response has gone like this: If you want an excellent study bible, you don’t need to buy one. The NET Bible is free and includes tons of hypertext study resources. It’s really quite an amazing project and resource. Check it out. However, if you want to get an... Read more