Anticipation of Lucinda William’s new album has been growing for months. First there were blogs about it. Hints in the news. Then I heard about twenty minutes of it a few weeks back because NPR First Listen posted the whole two-disc set. I didn’t listen to the whole thing, because frankly, it’s a long album, and I never have that much time to stream an album before I get tempted by other albums. So I switched over to Deafheaven or... Read more
by Susan R. Pitchford I lost my heart to Francis of Assisi for the same reason I lost it to Jesus: I’m a sucker for the combination of holiness and charm. It’s been said that Francis followed in the footsteps of Christ as closely as anyone ever has. And of all the saints, Francis is one of the most universally beloved; certainly he makes it to most people’s top ten. All of the saints have glorified God in their time... Read more
It’s Tuesday and that means it’s time for another question and answer session in our Stump a Scholar series here at Patheos Progressive Christian. No question is too tough or too radical for our experts! This month, we’re answering your questions about the Bible with resident expert Professor Jerry Sumney. Dr. Sumney is professor of biblical studies at Lexington Theological Seminary and the author of Colossians: A Commentary (2008) and Identifying Paul’s Opponents (1990). He’s also the author of the new Bible: An Introduction, Second Edition from Fortress Press, a dynamic interactive digital textbook for learning... Read more
Perhaps the recent tsunami wave of “Mark Driscoll Penis House” headlines has finally subsided to the point where one can write on the subject of the American Christian sexual worldview for a reason other than to gain an easy 10,000 views—and perhaps with a little substance in mind. Once Discroll’s distasteful and theologically unsound thoughts on human genitalia started splashing across the Interweb, Christian rags like Huff Post Religion madly circled them with the feeding frenzy fervor of a Time... Read more
The weekend of Oct 3-5 is a time for congregations all over America to reflect in worship on the issue of mass incarceration: for resources, see Justice Not Jails. Today, over 2,000,000 Americans are in jail or in prison. We’ve got 5% of the world’s population, but 25% of its prisoners. More black men are under the control of the criminal justice system in America today than were enslaved before the Civil War began. Our prison-industrial complex has become the... Read more
Throughout the developed world, self-harm is now the leading cause of death for people age fifteen to forty-nine, surpassing all cancers and heart disease. Even as you’re reading this post, there will be one U.S. suicide every 16 minutes. And while these and other sobering statistics on suicide paint a grim picture, awareness of the problem is an important first step toward prevention. This month at the Patheos Book Club, we’re featuring an important new resource for faith leaders called Preventing Suicide: A Guidebook for Pastors, Chaplains and... Read more
Tuesday is Stump a Scholar Day here at Patheos Progressive Christian — and no question is too tough or too radical for our experts! This month, we’re answering your questions about the Bible with resident expert Professor Jerry Sumney. Dr. Sumney is professor of biblical studies at Lexington Theological Seminary and the author of Colossians: A Commentary (2008) and Identifying Paul’s Opponents (1990). He’s also the author of the new Bible: An Introduction, Second Edition from Fortress Press, a dynamic interactive digital textbook for learning about the Bible on your own. This week’s question comes from... Read more
A wonderful thing happened some four hundred years ago. Renaissance man Galileo Galilei thought to himself, “I wonder what the stars would look like through my telescope?” And so, he took an instrument that most in Europe had viewed as a toy, and he pointed it toward the heavens. The viewed startled him. Among other things, he saw small orbs circling Jupiter and craters on the moon. And he kept copious notes of his observations, filling page after page with... Read more
Two books I’ve read recently have me thinking about Scripture as an operating system. All metaphors break-down at some point, so stretch this one as you will, but I find it helpful. The first work is out of Baylor University Press (a university press, by the way, that regularly publishes wonderfully intriguing titles). Qur’an in Conversation, edited by Michael Birkel, is a collection of interviews with Muslim scholars in North America. As a Christian reader of these essays, I found it... Read more
“The biggest challenge churches have is casting a vision for ministry that is compelling. And by compelling I mean one that can create enough energy and hope to overcome our addiction to the past.” — Rev. Michael W. Foss, author, Reviving the Congregation This month at the Patheos Book Club, we’re featuring a new book on pastoral leadership called Reviving the Congregation: Pastoral Leadership in a Changing Context. Bestselling author and Pastor Michael W. Foss visited with us recently to share... Read more
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