For some time now, I’ve been thinking a good deal about the importance of cultivating the virtue of fortitude as a dimension of spiritual formation in the modern seminary. The spread of Covid-19 has added focus to that reflection. Many clergy have waded into the challenges posed by this pandemic and have provided solid leadership for their congregations. But, at the same time, a vocal handful have publicly rehearsed how stressed and disillusioned they are by the demands that... Read more
Well, strictly speaking, Covid-19 was the presenting issue. Your role was changed by something called “Hospital Incident Command.” Hospital Incident Command HIC is a “standardized approach to managing complex incidents” that was developed in the 1970s in California to give hospitals “a framework on which to build a response quickly and scale it” to fit the demands made on hospitals by large scale emergencies, including the wildland fires in California that originally prompted its development. After the 9/11, those protocols... Read more
There are already countless articles that explore what we are learning about the life of the church in the middle of the Covid-19 crisis. There will be many more. Some of the lessons we have learned will be harder to absorb and may go unnoticed. They are also lessons that we didn’t need a crisis to learn. One of those lessons goes straight to the heart of what it means to be the body of Christ: Church has always... Read more
Three weeks ago, in the first of three articles I outlined what I believe to be a way to move beyond the zero-sum games that shape public discourse. Relying on game theory, I pointed out that while there are viable ways of talking about an infinite game that does not presuppose a belief in God, for Christians the best way forward is to nurture what we might call “God’s infinite game.” That game is theocentric and is predicated on the... Read more
Last week, in the first of three articles I outlined what I believe to be a way to move beyond the zero-sum games that shape public discourse. Relying on game theory, I pointed out that while there are viable ways of talking about an infinite game that does not presuppose a belief in God, for Christians the best way forward is to nurture what we might call “God’s infinite game.” That game is theocentric and is predicated on the... Read more
Recently it was revealed that Yale will no longer offer its widely popular, “Introduction to Art History: Renaissance to the Present”. Yale’s “celebrated” professor of art, Vincent Scully has taught it “for decades”, and – perhaps, predictably — the chair of the department argued that the focus of the course was “too white, too European, too male” and “too ‘problematic’”. So, it is being shelved in favor of a class with a “global” theme, that will take into account... Read more
Recent research indicates that the number of “Nones” – those without religious affiliation – may be leveling off in the United States. For the last quarter of a century, the Nones have been growing in number, and most observers believed that the trend would continue into the foreseeable future. But two studies suggest that may not be the case. Yonat Shimron reports: The initial suggestion that the decline of religious affiliation seems to be slowing came from political scientist Melissa... Read more
Preface Penal Substitutionary Atonement is not a phrase that is widely known, but the storyline that goes along with that theology is, and there are substantial problems with it. One, it purports to be a theory of Atonement, when – in fact – the multiple biblical and traditional pictures of atonement are better described as windows into atonement or as metaphors that attempt to explain a religious and spiritual reality that is beyond our grasp. A second problem with Penal... Read more
The death of Kobe Bryant triggered a public outpouring of grief. Inevitably, it also triggered a series of articles and posts that highlighted his failings. I was struck by the way in which the second set of articles often negated Bryant’s accomplishments and even swept aside grief over his death and that of his daughter. But I was not surprised. Of late, an endless number of articles and posts subject every prominent figure, generation, region, nation, and community — past... Read more
It’s Saturday morning and, as weather fronts collide, our area is being affected by high winds, thunderstorms, and a series of tornado warnings. Storms are forming west of us and, unfortunately, some communities will be damaged by high winds and, potentially, by tornadic activity. But the language that is used by the reporters is telling: “Red alert!” “You folks in Cadiz are going to get hit hard!” One wonders when meteorologists will begin screaming, “Battle stations, rig for collision.” As... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In