TEDx: Are God & Reality Converging?

Last updated on: September 21, 2014 at 6:26 pm By Michael Dowd

I was recently engaged in a spirited conversation about “Convergence Christianity” with my friend and colleague, Eric Elnes, at his home in Omaha, Nebraska. Eric described how he sees things evolving in the post-evangelical, post-liberal Christian world, and I shared how I’ve been noticing a similar convergence occurring in a wide range of secular and religious contexts. What exactly is converging? You can see Eric’s take on this question here. As I’ve traveled North America the past twelve years, speaking to religious and secular groups of great variety, I see signs that... Read more

Religious Bondage as a Barrier to Psychotherapeutic Treatment

Last updated on: September 22, 2014 at 7:41 am By Kisha Parker

Cognitive restructuring becomes a monumental task when attempting to provide psychotherapy to certain populations of people. One such population being that of the conservative, Pentecostal, African-American community. Due to my heritage within that community as well as some of the relational connections which yet remain between that community and me, I am often asked to provide mental health treatment to those who are a part of that community. Though I am always joyful to be able to serve those from... Read more

Remembering James

Last updated on: September 19, 2014 at 9:00 pm By Elsie Dennis

When my son James was born we considered him our miracle baby. While I had three successful pregnancies with his two older sisters and brother, my second husband and I had struggled with two miscarriages before he was born. We were delighted that our newborn was healthy and surprisingly had a full head of thick, long, black hair. He would be the only child my husband and I could have together as we suffered four more miscarriages after his birth.... Read more

The Re-Indigenisation of faith, indigenous people groups and Scottish Independence

Last updated on: September 19, 2014 at 8:35 pm By Steve Hollinghurst

As I write from St Albans just north of London UK the people of Scotland are voting on whether to become an independent nation and no longer part of the United Kingdom. By the time this post is published we will know the outcome. I have mixed feelings about this. I have no Scottish heritage, though my wife’s family in part trace their heritage to Scottish farmers who came down with the last Catholic Scots claimant to the throne, Bonnie... Read more

Gospel Novum

Last updated on: September 19, 2014 at 9:29 pm By Anthony Smith

At this time, Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. The moment he came out of the water, he saw the sky split open and God’s Spirit, looking like a dove, come down on him. Along with the Spirit, a voice: “You are my Son, chosen and marked by my love, pride of my life.” After John was arrested, Jesus went to Galilee preaching the Message of God: “Time’s up! God’s kingdom is... Read more

Learning Action and Contemplation at Richard Rohr’s Living School

Last updated on: September 19, 2014 at 8:35 pm By Mark Longhurst

Richard Rohr’s new Living School for Action and Contemplation has launched a new synthesis of Christian learning for which I believe the world is waiting. Nearly 1,500 people converged in New Mexico two weeks ago for Rohr’s second Conspire conference and Living School Symposium. Our vocations differed and our geographical homes stretched from Vancouver to Tokyo, but we all shared a common thirst to drink from the well of mystical Christianity. The all-star roster of teachers included Episcopalian hermit Cynthia... Read more

Pursuing the Peculiar

Last updated on: September 19, 2014 at 8:36 pm By Russell Rathbun

There is of course the notion that we all want to find points of connection—we want a big tent, we want a broad-way. It has been a hallmark of this thing of ours, that it is okay to be you, and it is okay for me to be me and we will find a point where we connect and let us celebrate that. And I celebrate that. But what I am really interested in is the points where we diverge.... Read more

To Change Everything, We Need Everyone

Last updated on: September 19, 2014 at 8:37 pm By Steve Knight

A year ago, Holly Roach and I were in New York City at the time of the second anniversary of the Occupy Wall Street movement. This week, Occupy turned three, and this weekend, Holly and I will be in New York City again, this time to participate in the world’s largest march for climate justice, the People’s Climate March. We are going, because we are convinced that people of faith must act proactively and in partnership with other movements for... Read more

The Never Ending Story and Constant Conversion

Last updated on: September 20, 2014 at 4:44 pm By Mihee Kim-Kort

“Conversion is a process, it is not a goal, not a product we consume. And it’s a bodily process, not only an emotional or intellectual one. The very cells in our body are busy changing, renewing themselves, every few days. Yet we remain recognizably ourselves. That is how conversion works, a paradox beautifully expressed in two vows that in two vows that are unique to Benedictine life. To join a monastic community, people promise stability, pledging to remain in that... Read more

Why I Cried at the New Community Conference

Last updated on: September 15, 2014 at 9:21 pm By Jamie Osborne

I want to be vulnerable with you and share some of my story. I want to share what breaks my heart and what gives me hope. I want to let you know a little bit about the pain I carry and how I feel God is using it in my life to bring me closer to Christ as I plod along, seeking God’s dream. And I want to start by telling you why I cried in Kanuga at the New... Read more