By Dwight Lee Wolter. “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change…” The Serenity Prayer was conceived in a little stone cottage in Heath, Massachusetts by theologian and professor, Reinhold Niebuhr, around 1932. It was printed on cards and distributed to the troops by the U.S.O. and circulated by the National Council of Churches. The Serenity Prayer became even better known after being adopted by Alcoholics Anonymous in 1941 when an early AA member saw... Read more
By John Helmiere, founding minister of Valley & Mountain. Over 12 months, the Forum for Theological Education is spotlighting 12 leaders, their stories, and how their passion and call to shape a more hopeful future through Christian ministry guides the impact they are making in their communities, institutions, and universities. You can find the full series, here. I went to seminary because I thought I was called to be a pastor. Quickly, I began having second thoughts. While the... Read more
By Therese Taylor-Stinson. The shooting of unarmed black men by law enforcement officers and lone vigilantes ambushing churches has exposed the lie of a “post-racial” America. The polarization, the violence, and the controversies make it seem there is no turning from our human condition. But there is hope: In this racially divided time, religious communities can provide safe spaces for all races and ethnicities to heal from centuries of white supremacy and devaluing the lives of others. I’m not talking... Read more
By David Stevenson Real youth ministry isn’t about making nice. It’s about making waves. It’s more than Kumbaya around the campfire; more than bowling and pizza. It’s spiritual jazz; organic, always evolving, never the same. Real youth ministry isn’t for the faint of heart. Like jazz you have to be open to discovery, surprise. It’s called real youth ministry because the youth are THE curriculum. It meets them every moment right where they are, right now. Real youth ministry is... Read more
Bread and wine became things by which I came to know even more deeply the presence of God. As one of my professors told me, “When the world is completely upside down, the Eucharist is always the same. That’s the power of ritual.” Read more
God is guilty. I do not make this claim lightly. But I make it in the strength of the company of some of the most faithful people in history. Read more
A member of our church died and was cremated and then had her ashes blended with the ashes of her dog that had died and was cremated a year earlier. Another member of our church brought his five year old son to see me because the boy had told him that, “more than anything in the world” he wanted to be dead so that he could be with his dog. These were not my first or only encounters with the... Read more
Silence allows us to rest from our own “noise within—our desires that plague us, our worries that deplete us, our thoughts that agitate us—that we must calm.” When we rest from the continual interior dialogue, we allow space for God to work within us. Read more
The new Ben-Hur movie from Paramount Pictures opened over the weekend and the reviews have been, well, not all that great. It’s not surprising really, after an enormous promotional lead-up setting expectations high, that folks (especially the non-Christian cadre) have been quick to criticize the big-budget epic laced with a feel-good Christian message. And while critically, I may have a few quibbles with parts of the story (the rushed ending, most especially), I also found the movie to be quite beautiful and meaningful to... Read more
By Rev. Dr. William Barber When I was growing up in Eastern North Carolina, I used to love to sit in my grandmama’s kitchen and listen to her sing as she made dinner. Whenever she was done cooking, she’d give me a plate to eat. Then she and some of the other sisters from the church would make up some to-go plates and, with their aprons still on, head out the door to visit the sick and shut-in. “We going... Read more
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