Lucy Peppiatt, Rediscovering Scripture’s Vision for Women: Fresh Perspectives on Disputed Texts. Now available! I get asked lots of questions about the Bible, but perhaps my favorite went like this: What in the Bible would you tell my church to think about if the leaders are considering more freedom for women in the church’s ministry? I’ll keep it to seven, and I’ll make it seven questions to ponder as you ponder what God is calling women to do in the church.... Read more

Step one in repairing our nation from its political wars one with another is listening-to-learn the other side well enough at least to appreciate the other person. Not for the sake of changing one’s mind, but the purpose of civility. It works both ways, but this progressive woman has nine big lessons from her own attempts to listen-to-learn: Emma Witman did just that and here are her lessons: #1: I shot a gun for the first time in small-town Georgia... Read more

  Ron Sider, in If Jesus is Lord , examines the Sermon on the Mount and its implications for violence, war, and pacifism. I consider Jesus’ teachings to be the most significant location for this entire discussion. If a kind of non-violence or pacifism can be found here … and if Jesus is Lord, the discussion is over. If not, the claims for pacifism are all but defeated. Accepting Jesus’s gospel of the kingdom requires a fundamental reorienting of one’s thinking... Read more

Grant to us, Lord, we pray, the spirit to think and do always those things that are right, that we, who cannot exist without you, may by you be enabled to live according to your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.BCP Read more

Our summer is giving way to (grand)kids and neighbor kids and teachers going back to school. Enjoy these last weeks of August. People: The Methodist Healthcare System of San Antonio has sent two of their emergency services facility dogs to El Paso, Texas, to comfort the victims and first responders of the devastating mass shooting that took place on Saturday. Therapy dogs Rudy and Chanel arrived in El Paso on Sunday morning, according to the hospital, to provide “unconditional love and support”... Read more

I Know That Kid, by Mike Glenn As I sit here and try to think about what to write for this column, I’m having a hard time finding the right words. The endless news cycle of our 24-hour culture is going over the shooting in El Paso, only breaking away in order to go more in depth about the shooting in Dayton. How many were killed? How many were wounded? What kind of weapon was used? How long did it... Read more

In John 18:36 Jesus responds to Pilate’s questioning “are you the king of the Jews?” saying “My kingdom is not from this world. … But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.”(NRSV) Many English translations have of of this world, and some have both of this world and of here, leading the impression that Jesus is saying that his kingdom has little concern with worldly things. Not so, say Jonathan Moo and Robert White in the concluding chapter... Read more

The Sunday of a week of pastor and preparing for preaching chapter in Frank Honeycutt’s Sunday Comes Every Week suggests the sermon can be reconceived as an offering. This book is striped page by page with wisdom. Buy it, read it, learn from it. Honeycutt: “I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship” (Rom. I2:i). The familiar adverb “therefore”... Read more

By Mike Glenn Ask any non-profit leader or church staff member what their number one problem is, and both will give you the same answer – volunteers. They can’t find people to volunteer. They can’t find volunteers who show up on time. They can’t find volunteers who will show up at all. If they do show up, they rarely show up with a good attitude or work ethic… and then, they won’t return your phone calls at all. If we... Read more

John Byron has a new book called A Week in the Life of a Slave. Part fictional narrative, this book is built on solid historical study so it will repay reading for anyone who cares about the letter to Philemon especially. But, all of Paul’s letters are addressed to house churches in which there would have been household slaves or at least slaves would be attending the gatherings. Read more