From Arise, by Rachel Elizabeth Asproth: Rachel Elizabeth Asproth graduated from Bethel University with a BA in English literature and reconciliation studies in 2015. She is currently the editor of the CBE Scroll and Arise. Her chief passions are reading, writing, social justice, theatre, and travel. She spends most of her time scouring thrift stores for new books and taking advantage of her student discount at the Orpheum Theatre. Rachel currently lives in New Brighton, MN. We’ll begin our series by zooming out... Read more

This proves too many in the SBC are too aligned with President Trump and the Republicans. Russell Moore is hardly a firebrand for progressive stances. The man is at best a moderate and far more conservative than anything else. Dwight McKissic: The Prestonwood Baptist Church of Plano, TX, (a Dallas suburb) led by Dr. Jack Graham, a former President of the Southern Baptist Convention, has determined to escrow funds totaling $1 million, that were previously designated for the Cooperative Program—the... Read more

From the forthcoming Dictionary of Christianity and Science, edited by Paul Copan, Tremper Longman III, Christopher L. Reese, and Michael G. Strauss. CONCORDISM. Concordism refers to the position that the teaching of the Bible on the natural world, properly interpreted, will agree with the teaching of science (when it properly understands the data), and may in fact supplement science. The concordist not only believes that nature and Scripture will harmonize, but sees specific references in the Bible to current scientific understanding... Read more

There are many important themes running through the Gospel of Matthew. One of the most significant highlighted by Richard Hays in Reading Backwards: Figural Christology and the Fourfold Gospel Witness and the larger book Echoes of Scripture in the Gospels is the “inclusio” (a literary device which consists of creating a frame by placing similar material at the beginning and end of a section) that defines the entire book. (All quotes below are from Echoes of Scripture in the Gospels.)... Read more

Touch Not God’s Anointed? By Michelle Van Loon www.michellevanloon.com www.MomentsAndDays.org Those who’ve attended a spiritually-abusive church have more than likely heard some version of a warning drawn from the pages of Scripture about not challenging a leader’s authority: “Touch not God’s anointed.” There are a couple of big problems with this kind of talk. First, in an authoritarian church system, challenging a leader’s authority might mean anything from not showing up every time the church doors are open to daring... Read more

Halee Gray Scott: One trend the Barna Group noted is the slow and steady rise of female pastors. One of every 11 Protestant pastors is a woman—triple as many as 25 years ago—yet women often lead smaller congregations than men. Though most pastors, regardless of gender, are satisfied with their role, female pastors are more likely than male pastors to wish they had been more prepared for the expectation they “must do everything” and must do it “perfectly.” [If you’ve... Read more

Jesus never says a direct word about what we call sexual abuse but his teachings speak volumes. Becky points us to the big themes. Read more

Jason Micheli is the author of Cancer is Funny: Keeping Faith in Stage Serious Chemo. He’s a United Methodist in Alexandria, Va and blogs at www.tamedcynic.org       A reply to Jeffrey Weiss’ editorial in USA Today about planning his ‘no thanks’ to cancer treatment. You can find his article here. Prayer “Works” (But Not in the Way So Many Suppose) Mr. Weiss, Likely, you expect a clergyman to critique your appraisal of the Book of Job and to encourage you,... Read more