Invite a Corporation to Church

Last updated on: December 22, 2014 at 7:44 pm By Jim Burklo

The Supreme Court has declared corporations to be people, according to its Citizens United decision. And, likewise, in its Hobby Lobby decision, it decided that a company can be exempted from obeying laws that contradict his/her personal religious beliefs. This opens up an exciting opportunity for Christian evangelism! If we are serious about spreading the gospel to everyone, we should invite corporations to church. To this end, let October 19, 2014, be INVITE-A-CORPORATION-TO-CHURCH SUNDAY. Let’s invite BP to church. Let’s... Read more

Lucinda Williams: Our Greatest Living Preacher

Last updated on: December 22, 2014 at 7:47 pm By Clint Schnekloth

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

Francis of Assisi: God’s Holy Fool

Last updated on: October 3, 2014 at 5:56 pm By Guest Contributor

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

Stump a Bible Scholar: Was Jesus Perfect?

Last updated on: September 29, 2014 at 5:54 pm By Deborah Arca

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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

Mark Driscoll and the Amazing Technicolor Evangelical Funhouse Mirror Sexual Worldview (Swedish Batteries Not Included)

Last updated on: February 6, 2015 at 10:52 pm By Arik Bjorn

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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

Incarceration or Redemption?

Last updated on: September 24, 2014 at 4:27 pm By Jim Burklo

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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

Preventing Suicide is Possible: A Q&A with Author Karen Mason

Last updated on: September 23, 2014 at 8:22 pm By Deborah Arca

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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

Stump a Bible Scholar: Wrestling with Zoroastrianism Influences

Last updated on: September 22, 2014 at 10:55 pm By Guest Contributor

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

Can You Handle the Truth? On Galileo, Biblical Inerrancy, and the Courage to Question

Last updated on: September 22, 2014 at 5:30 pm By Kelly Pigott

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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

Is Scripture an OS?

Last updated on: September 19, 2014 at 8:15 pm By Clint Schnekloth

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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

Who was called by God from a burning bush to lead Israel out of Egypt?