Why the Church Cannot Afford to Be Either Conservative or Progressive, by Joe James, the education minister at the Southside Church of Christ in Rogers Arkansas. Being a minister in 2016 presents a host of challenges. But perhaps the most difficult line for pastors to walk is in translating two kinds of Christianity to each other: conservative and progressive. I have seen it a hundred times, maybe thousands of times – Christians labeling one another. “She’s conservative,” or “He’s liberal.”... Read more

As in 25 hours per day and 8 days per week, which is a way of saying, too much too much too much. Too often too often too often. Deep in the heart of God is Sabbath, a day of rest. 24 hours, not just Sunday morning, but one whole day. Sundown to sundown. A day of rest. Rob Muthiah has a new book that is designed for the 25/8 American lifestyle. It is called The Sabbath Experiment: Spiritual Formation for... Read more

Molly Jo Rose: On my desk sits a stack of flyers for summer day camps. The options are mind-numbing: Superhero camp, Inventor’s camp, Minecraft camp, STEM camp, even camp for kids who like to run. The thought of weeding through them is paralyzing, so I have made the executive decision not to. The camp I am sending my son to this year is Camp Boredom. That’s right. No events. No themes. No scheduling of minutes and hours and days. Instead,... Read more

The final section of Matthew Nelson Hill’s new book Evolution and Holiness looks at John Wesley’s view of original sin and human nature and the interaction between the structures he put in place with small accountability groups and more modern ideas from sociobiology. I was raised in a Baptist church, with something of a “soft” Calvinist bent. (TULIP appalled me when I first heard of it in college – it was not explicitly or implicitly taught.) I have attended Presbyterian... Read more

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It is perhaps not as well known as it might be that James D.G. Dunn, who was the earliest driver for exploring the conclusions of E.P. Sanders’ famous Paul and Palestinian Judaism for the apostle Paul’s theology and mission, is a Wesleyan or a Methodist. Thus, his Pauline theology shows contact with the Holiness Tradition of Christian theology. N.T. Wright, on the other hand, is an Anglican so shows more contact with the Reformed Tradition of Christian theology. It must be... Read more

The following is an email correspondence between Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian in New York City, and David George Moore. Dave blogs at www.twocities.org Dear Tim, I have read several of your books and benefited greatly from each one.  I am also grateful for your willingness to do the Patheos/Jesus Creed interview with me.  Hyperbole and lack of nuance (not two things many associate with you) can be taken literally when the person communicating is well regarded.  I’m afraid... Read more

Here’s a good one, but what is your favorite graduation story? AP Story: LOS ANGELES (AP) –  It took more than 60 years but a University of Southern California student has finally received his diploma. Ninety-six-year-old Alfonso Gonzales received a bachelor of science degree in zoology on Friday, making him the oldest graduate in USC history. The World War II veteran thought he’d already graduated when he skipped commencement exercises in 1953 because of work obligations. He was founding a... Read more

Almighty God, on this day you opened the way of eternal life to every race and nation by the promised gift of your Holy Spirit: Shed abroad this gift throughout the world by the preaching of the Gospel, that it may reach to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. or this O God, who on this... Read more