First you take the drug, and then the drug takes you. This didn’t happen to everyone in America; but it happened to America herself. And it was predictable. At first, our flirtations with the drug called Trump were fun! The drug called Trump was sometimes rude and often crude; but it was entertaining. It made us laugh. It made us cry. It made us sigh. It made us high. Then came the denial. We thought that this drug called Trump... Read more
By Stephen Lewis, President of Forum for Theological Exploration (FTE) In a time of withering certainty about who we are as Americans, Christians and global citizens, we desperately need courageous moral leaders—those willing to disrupt the status quo. These are leaders inspired by faith, fueled by courage and leading in unconventional ways to create a more hopeful future. Over the past year, bold leaders in FTE’s community shared their reflections on how they are Leading Differently through their work in the world, in a series... Read more
In an era when fewer and fewer people go to church, it is often the song, not the sermon, speech or blog that touches people’s lives in a deep and meaningful way. Houses of faith may embody ethics, morality and good deeds; but the church can learn more of these same things from the street, perhaps as much as the street can learn from the church. The Beatles, for example, are proof that spirituality flows both ways. As a child... Read more
By David Phillips Hansen Indigenous people are showing White Christians the dynamic power of faith in action. Standing Rock is a spiritual center of transformation and a global symbol of the struggle for environmental and interracial justice. The Lakota words, “mni wiconi,” (water is life) have become a rallying cry renewing faith in the power of people to protect their land and water as we struggle to build a fair economy. If we have ears to listen and eyes to see,... Read more
Although Christmas Day has now come and gone, and our caroling ceased, I pray that the next time Tupac Shakur is heard in worship, it won’t be by mistake. He should be invited to church more often. Read more
This is the fourth in a weekly series of Advent devotionals by the Rev. Elizabeth Hagan reflecting on what an experience of infertility can teach us about waiting for Jesus here at Faith Forward. If you missed the first post about hope, you can read it here and the second one about peace here and the third about joy here. There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had... Read more
By Erin Guzmán For many years I’ve been a firm believer that the sooner the Christmas decorations go up, the less special the Christmas holiday feels and becomes for me. Don’t get me wrong: I love Christmas and all the “seasonally appropriate” colors, flavors, smells and traditions. But I prefer to savor each ‘holiday season’ rather than rush through each one to make it to Christmas. Since I was little, and before I knew anything of the birth of Jesus, I... Read more
BREAKING NEWS: Santa has overtaken Jesus as “the reason for the season.” While many claim that a thriving movement cannot be measured in numbers, and that faith will ultimately triumph over folly ~ it is clear that religious festivities and services continue to lose ground to secular ones; spiritual is being routed by commercial; and Christmas is celebrated most often ~ not at communion in the church ~ but at the food court in the mall. This reality will not... Read more
By Dr. Stephen P. Bauman Trapped in the corner of the grocer’s produce section, a young couple with two shopping carts and an unhappy toddler had cut off all avenues of my escape as they bickered over whose job it was to address the boy’s ranting. It had started out calmly enough. Dad offered that it was Mom’s turn and he helpfully suggested she might want to pick up their son. Mom responded firmly that she had been handling him long... Read more
This is the third in a weekly series of Advent devotionals by the Rev. Elizabeth Hagan reflecting on what an experience of infertility can teach us about waiting for Jesus. If you missed the first post about hope, you can read it here and the second one about peace here. Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of... Read more
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