“Ultimately, the most advanced spiritual fathers and mothers advised me that silence, stillness and the peace of God is in your heart – independent of time or place. So in the caves of apartment buildings, in the alleys of skyscrapers in cities, and in the deserts and forests of rural outposts – prayer and silence is the method of best connection with God.” — Norris Chumley, from Be Still and Know Early Christian spirituality has become a topic of growing... Read more
I dedicate this “musing” to sincere Christian colleagues, friends, and acquaintances who work for evangelical and fundamentalist churches, colleges and other organizations which require signing a standard statement of faith as a condition of employment. I’ve learned that many of them never were, or no longer are, comfortable with these statements. Many of them silently re-interpret the faith statement for themselves in an effort to make peace with it. Thousands of staff members and professors at Christian colleges have become... Read more
Before we chat with Rev. Romal Tune at Teaching Nonviolent Atonement this Wednesday, February 26, I need to make a confession: I wish that the young people who join gangs would go to church instead; if there’s a God in heaven, then gangs should wither and die and church youth programs take their place. It doesn’t sound like much of a confession, does it? Before I met Rev. Tune, author of God’s Graffiti founder and Executive Director of Faith for... Read more
“Hi Jesus, I’m a transgender woman. What do you think about that?” I knew this moment would come. I was one year into a 4-year project — an interactive drama of Jesus’ ministry years, played out on the social media stage. My “Jesus Benyosef” character was posting status updates about the kingdom of God, friending disciples, getting blocked from fundamentalist Facebook groups, and tweeting his desert encounters with Satan (yes, of course the wilderness has Wi-Fi). Jesus was making lots... Read more
“TransFORM will challenge you to explore overcoming Empire, cultivating alternatives and building deep solidarity. This is the closest thing to an Emergent Theological Conversation happening in 2014.” — Steve Knight Next month, a couple hundred folks will head to San Diego for TransFORM 2014, a gathering aimed at “transforming the language, culture, and practice of the missional church to broader movements for change.” We caught up with TransFORM’s Steve Knight to find out more about what to expect from the gathering... Read more
This past week, I’ve been reading a powerful little book for the Patheos Book Club called Mercy in the City: How to Feed the Hungry, Give Drink to the Thirsty, Visit the Imprisoned, and Keep Your Day Job. It’s by Kerry Weber, a young Catholic woman (and Managing Editor at America magazine), and it chronicles her experience of attempting to live out the Corporal Works of Mercy for the 40 days of Lent. You know the Works of Mercy, right? (I... Read more
Happy Saint Valentine’s Day. As much as I like the chocolate — and hope my wife gets me some today (fair-trade organic chocolate, of course) — Valentine’s Day wasn’t always about chocolate, hearts, and roses. He was a priest in Rome in the 3rd century — who was brutally executed. Valentine was known for assisting Christians persecuted under Claudius II. After being caught marrying Christian couples and helping Christians escape the persecution, Valentine was arrested and imprisoned. One of the... Read more
The short answer: a lot. And I’m not joking, a least when it comes to the original way it was celebrated. We often associate Valentine’s Day with St. Valentine, which on the surface sounds quite reasonable. But there is a huge disconnect between this saint and what we typically associate with Valentine’s Day, that is, romantic dates, cards, candy, kissing, and, well, you get the idea. To begin with, it’s actually difficult to know who St. Valentine was. One tradition... Read more
As we commemorate the 54th anniversary of the Greensboro sit-in that sought to end legal segregation, let’s never forget that the Civil Rights movement was a religiously inspired, prophetic movement led by pastors and diverse people of faith. Read more
By Michael W. Waters Author, Freestyle: Reflections on Faith, Family, Justice, and Pop Culture Metaphors for American Diversity: Salads, Melting Pots, Tapestries, and Mosaics On October 27, 1976, Georgia governor and then presidential candidate James Earl Carter Jr. offered one of his final campaign speeches in Pittsburgh. In this speech, Carter stated, “We [America] have become … a beautiful mosaic. Different people, different beliefs, different yearnings, different hopes, different dreams.” Over the course of American history, many metaphors have been employed... Read more
Select your answer to see how you score.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In