Brad Braxton, here in Chicago at McCormick Theological Seminary, writes in the HuffPo about progressive Christianity and prophetic evangelicalism, and he urges us to get in front of Jesus. What do you think of getting in front of Jesus? What about progressive Christian and prophetic evangelical? Parishioners in the church of my childhood often sang the hymn, “I have decided to follow Jesus…No turning back, no turning back.” The hymn cautioned disciples about turning away from Jesus. This essay explores... Read more

We’re discussing how we build what we know about God, our theology, and using Wesley’s Quadrilateral as an outline for our discussion.  The first of the four I want to discuss is Tradition.  I think I want to start with that one because it’s probably the one that, for me, growing up largely in a low-church environment, is the most “undiscovered country” of the four.  Even this series is evidence of the growing value that Tradition has for me as I follow Christ... Read more

Anli Serfontein, of the Religion News Service, reports on Lutherans wanting to remain one church in spite of differences over sexuality. The irony of the Lutheran bishop bleeds into duplicitousness. Here’s the problem: As was the case with the Anglican Communion, one group breaks unity by moving ahead against the will of the majority and then that same group that broke unity pleads for unity. My statement comes with a sadness of a repeated story across Western Christianity. What do... Read more

There’s an excellent NYTimes report about evangelicals and immigration, though I wish they had mentioned M. Daniel Carroll R., whose book is one of the best I’ve seen: Christians at the Border: Immigration, the Church, and the Bible .  “My message to Republican leaders,” said the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, the president of the evangelical National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference and one of the leaders who engaged his non-Hispanic peers, “is if you’re anti-immigration reform, you’re anti-Latino, and if you’re anti-Latino,... Read more

Wow, this just in … and it concerns me: As the Obama administration begins to enact the new national health care law, the country’s biggest insurers are promoting affordable plans with reduced premiums that require participants to use a narrower selection of doctors or hospitals. The plans, being tested in places like San Diego, New York and Chicago, are likely to appeal especially to small businesses that already provideinsurance to their employees, but are concerned about the ever-spiraling cost of coverage. But... Read more