Why “Don’t Say Illegal Immigrant” Is A Problem

Last updated on: August 25, 2014 at 8:59 pm By Guest Contributor

Last month, as Americans focused attention on Central American child refugees, Benjamin L. Corey’s June, 2013 article, “Why We Need To Stop Using The Term ‘Illegal Immigrant'”, appeared on my Facebook feed. In it, Corey said using the term “illegal immigrant” was to bear false witness against our neighbor. I am a Baptist minister and film maker who advocates for illegal immigrants, guest workers in the US legally with a visa, and domestic labor. With enormous respect for those concerned... Read more

Monday Meditation: Come Alive

Last updated on: December 22, 2014 at 7:58 pm By Deborah Arca

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” — Howard Thurman Read more

For Now, Young Black Males Matter…Until the Cameras Go Off

Last updated on: December 22, 2014 at 7:58 pm By Romal Tune

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What most people don’t understand about poor Black males on inner-city streets: Interesting how the story in Ferguson is shifting to talk about all of the young Black males showing up to protest on the streets day and night. I can tell you now, they will not stay off the streets tonight. But it’s not just because they are angry and tired of mistreatment by police. It’s because they are tired of being ignored. Because of this tragic shooting the... Read more

Jesus Died With His Hands Up, Too

Last updated on: August 19, 2014 at 10:27 pm By Jim Burklo

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Michael Brown should not have been shot dead by police in Ferguson, Missouri. His hands were up. He was unarmed. It doesn’t make any difference whether or not he had stolen earlier something that day. If he had committed such a crime, he should have been given appropriate justice, not a volley of bullets. At the time he was shot, there was simply no excuse for what happened to him. Somebody else had his life stolen from him, too: a... Read more

Stump a Bible Scholar: Is Jesus God?

Last updated on: August 19, 2014 at 10:09 pm By Deborah Arca

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Think you can stump a scholar? No question is too tough or too radical (this IS the Bible after all — a tough, radical book) for our new Stump a Scholar series at Patheos Progressive Christian. Every week, we’ll answer your questions about the Bible, Christian history, the Church, theology; and we’re bringing in the experts to tackle your questions. This month, we’re focusing on the Bible and have invited Jerry L. Sumney, professor of biblical studies at Lexington Theological Seminary, to be... Read more

PostChristian: Christian Piatt on the Church and the Future of Faith

Last updated on: August 13, 2014 at 4:05 pm By Deborah Arca

“There is no question that Christianity as a religion has been in need of a refining fire for some time, and it’s not surprising that the idea is met with some fear and self-preserving instinct. But if we truly trust that it is a fire of perfection and not consumption, what do we have to fear? ” — Christian Piatt, author, PostChristian: What’s Left, Can We Fix It, Do We Care? One of the many things I love about Christian... Read more

Coffee Hour: America’s True Religion

Last updated on: August 12, 2014 at 6:15 pm By Jim Burklo

(Here’s one from the vault! from 1984… it ran in CoEvolution/Whole Earth Review, which was a journal of countercultural thought and technology produced by Stewart Brand and the folks at the Whole Earth Catalog. Shortly after my article appeared, I went to worship at a Gnostic church in Palo Alto, and at coffee hour afterwards I found myself chatting with another young bearded guy holding a styrofoam cup. We were shocked when we shared our names with each other: he... Read more

Why I Don’t Care if You Use Prayer Beads

Last updated on: August 12, 2014 at 6:35 pm By Kristen E. Vincent

I don’t care if you use prayer beads. I know that seems strange to say. After all, I’m the woman who is passionate about them. I’ve collected them for almost 25 years. I’ve built a living out of writing and teaching and speaking about prayer beads. I love praying with them and think they make a great prayer tool. I also think an afternoon at the craft table designing new sets is exceedingly well-spent. Still, I don’t care if you... Read more

Practical Theology: Love-Fest

Last updated on: August 4, 2014 at 9:56 pm By Aric Clark

We got the authors of three recent books of practical theology together and asked them to bang their ideas around to see what interesting overlaps and contrasts emerged. Andrew Root of Luther Seminary recently wrote Christopraxis: A Practical Theology of the Cross. Mark Van Steenwyk, founder of the Mennonite Worke Community, wrote The UNkingdom of God: Embracing the Subversive Power of Repentance. The guys from Two Friars and a Fool, Aric Clark, Doug Hagler, and Nick Larson wrote Never Pray... Read more

How to End Poverty? A Spiritual Question

Last updated on: August 5, 2014 at 5:00 pm By Jim Burklo

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“Bread for me is a material question. Bread for my neighbor is a spiritual one,” wrote Nikolai Berdyaev, a 19th-20th c. Russian philosopher and theologian. Is there a more important spiritual question than this one? Today may be a particularly good time to ask it in America. I took a recent USC graduate to lunch last week. I sort of “adopted” her early in her freshman year. She grew up in poverty less than a mile from our campus. That proximity was crucial, as... Read more

What does the Hebrew word 'Shekinah' mean?