Reconsidering Empire: Does it Matter?

Last updated on: November 19, 2014 at 2:07 pm By Joerg Rieger

As self-proclaimed progressive Christians start praising the virtues of empire, scholars teaching at conservative institutions are writing critical studies of it (Tony Jones, In Praise of Empires, R. Alan Streett, Subversive Meals: An Analysis of the Lord’s Supper under Roman Domination During the First Century, 2013). What will they think of next? Having published on religion and empire myself (Christ and Empire: From Paul to Postcolonial Times, 2007 and Globalization and Theology, 2010), it is time to clear up some... Read more

An Emergent Episcopalian Shares Some Thoughts about the Church

Last updated on: November 16, 2014 at 9:16 pm By Jamie Osborne

Many of us in the emergent conversation have left institutional Christianity. We do not trust institutions and are suspicious of hierarchies. Our personal histories and experiences of Christianity are filled with the frustration caused by the disconnect between the truth claims of our religious Christian institutions and their actual lived existence. We have seen how much energy and money is spent in the maintenance of our institutions, instead of the mission of Jesus. Some of us have been traumatized by... Read more

Flap Your Wings

Last updated on: November 15, 2014 at 11:42 pm By Theresa Soto

Sometimes the conversation for disability justice within spiritual community feels like a monumental task. It might be something akin to that moment when the miller’s daughter is asked to spin that pile of straw into gold. What seems obvious to me seems like just another item on a to-do list to someone else, or perhaps even a potential line item in an already stretched thin church budget. Why does it matter? The first principle of Unitarian Universalism is that all... Read more

An Interstellar God

Last updated on: November 14, 2014 at 11:19 am By Janel Apps Ramsey

Yes, I am unashamedly referencing the movie, but that’s because I can’t get it out of my head. I have always been a fan of space. I love sci-fi. I love planets and stars, supernovas and galaxies. I love the images, the imaginations, the hope of people who long to see what is beyond the rock we call home. Interstellar is an amazing display of what those things could be like and I found it breathtaking. Even though people are... Read more

“Kill the Commentators” and if you have time the propositionalists too

Last updated on: November 13, 2014 at 4:23 pm By Eric English

Soren Kierkegaard series PART THREE The Soren Kierkegaard (SK) series has sought to present some of the major theological/cultural concerns associated with the philosopher/theologian in light of our current situation in protestant Christianity. Although SK lived more than 150 years ago his thought is just as relevant today, perhaps even more, than when he first wrote. In Part one I gave a brief introduction to SK as a Christian thinker who has been significantly misunderstood and misarticulated. In Part... Read more

Two Evangelical Christian Presentations on LGBTQ Issues

Last updated on: November 11, 2014 at 11:03 pm By Marg Herder

Last weekend an important gathering, the Reformation Project’s 2014 Regional Training Conference, was held in Washington D.C. The Reformation Project is Matthew Vines’s organization that advocates for LGBTQ equality in evangelical Christianity. Though I was unable to attend, a few of my friends were there and enjoyed a number of impressive presentations. Two of these presentations are now available on the web, and I’d like to bring them to your attention. I think you’ll find both of them interesting and... Read more

Sleeping outside. Veterans and Homelessness

Last updated on: November 8, 2014 at 11:16 am By Bec Cranford-Smith

Veterans and Homelessness A scraggly beard covered his face. His brown eyes gleamed with a thousand sentiments and thoughts. He smiled at the children who walked past him. A Church bus pulled up south of trinity on Peachtree Street. 15 Korean Presbyterians ministers hit the pavement with tables, an audio system, and hot chili. The young worship leader grabbed his guitar and did a mike check. Jamie sat up from his reclined position against the small Maple tree that adorned... Read more

Did Jesus Struggle With Racism?

Last updated on: November 9, 2014 at 4:13 pm By George Elerick

For centuries now, the divinity of Jesus Christ has been under fire. Whether this man from Nazareth was actually God, or was it all just a literary plot to perpetuate one of the largest world religions today, these are the questions that are currently being asked across many platforms today. Honestly, I think it’s the wrong issue to be focused on. Whether Jesus was divine or not, or fully-divine, or fully-human, or whether you can have coffee without... Read more

Walk Towards the Light

Last updated on: March 8, 2015 at 5:32 pm By Lelanda Lee

A week ago Sunday I led an Adult Christian forum between services at a Denver church with a real heart for social justice. My topic was “The Gospel Imperative to Do Social Justice: Living into God’s Vision of Shalom.” I chose two Bible verses to highlight: ISAIAH 1:17 (NRSV) learn to do good; seek justice, ... Read more