Dr. Dave Kresta is a Christian, an engineer, and an urbanologist. You will see in this latest post dedicated to cultivating vibrant neighborhoods and communities for human flourishing how Dave weaves together his areas of passion and expertise to address the subject of gentrification and how churches often play a part. Paul Louis Metzger (PLM): Dave, please define for us urbanology and gentrification. Dave Kresta (DK): Urban Studies applies a variety of social science disciplines to understand and analyze neighborhoods,… Read more

This is the third reflection for the Season of Creation, which is part and parcel of church liturgy in many traditions. With this point on liturgy in mind, it is fitting that consideration be given to the creation narratives in Genesis 1 and 2 as liturgical texts. The creation as a whole, and specifically Eden, functions as God’s temple over which God rules and humanity serves as priest. We will discuss liturgy and temple in the context of addressing the… Read more

All too often, we look at those who are simply different as odd, perhaps dangerous, even dumb. So it is in the case of those experiencing hearing loss (hearing loss, deafness or hearing impairment has been defined as “the total or partial inability to hear sounds”). Perhaps you have heard of institutions “For the Deaf and Dumb.” We can easily look at those struggling with hearing loss as lacking mental faculties with which to understand, when all they really lack… Read more

By Paul Louis Metzger and John W. Morehead: Today marks eighteen years since the Twin Towers and Pentagon attacks of 9/11. In this post on this anniversary, we will explore how it has affected Evangelical Protestant Christians negatively and how we might respond positively. The trauma of 9/11 produced fear and anger in the days and months immediately after the events, but these many years later, how has it continued to shape us psychologically, and in turn, theologically? After some discussion… Read more

This is the second entry on the Season of Creation, which many ecclesial traditions celebrate every year. On September 1st, which marks the start of the Season of Creation, we honored World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. Church liturgies for the Season of Creation vary from year to year in highlighting which aspects of creation to celebrate on particular Sundays (Refer here for an example of the Season of Creation liturgies for various years). In light of… Read more

Earlier this week, a group of scientists and theologians met to discuss various issues of importance in society today and how they might partner in different ways. One of the areas of discussion focused on what they considered the most pressing questions and misconceptions involving faith and science. I was part of the discussion and offered four reflections. I have developed the four points in what follows. Conflict: The Draper-White conflict thesis involving the supposed divide between faith and science… Read more

How often have you and your church prayed for the care of creation? If you can’t recall ever praying for the care of creation, today would be a good day to start. September 1st marks the beginning of the Season of Creation in the church calendar with the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. Before delving deeper into this subject, let’s further embed this day and month in its liturgical and salvation-historical context. It is worth noting… Read more

Mae Elise Cannon and Andrea Smith are the editors of the newly released “Evangelical Theologies of Liberation and Justice” by InterVarsity Academic. It was my honor and privilege to participate in this long-awaited volume. In wishing to collaborate further, I reached out to them for an interview to discuss this exciting new academic venture. Their answers follow my questions set forth in bold, italicized print. Mae and Andy, what inspired you to edit a volume dedicated to evangelical theologies of… Read more

The church calendar has no specific day marking Christ’s return to judge the nations, bring history as we know it to a close, and usher in the kingdom of God in its fullness. Rather, every Lord’s Day or Sunday is intended to help us make preparations. That’s wise, since Christ himself said no one knows the day and the hour: “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only” (Matthew 24:36;… Read more

This is the first entry in a series of posts dedicated to highlighting efforts to cultivate vibrant communities for human flourishing. George Crandall is the author of Fixing Your City: Creating Thriving Neighborhoods and Adapting to a Changing World. The back-cover description for Fixing Your City reads, Tired of watching your city being degraded by new development that doesn’t fit? Paying for city plans that never get implemented? Wondering what your city can do to respond to climate change? In his groundbreaking book,… Read more