Skip to content

Rankin File

ruminations, fulminations, and cogitations on the spiritual life

Menu

  • Home
  • Publications
  • Speaking
  • Audio / Video
  • Book Reviews
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin
  • Feed
Rankin File

Religion

May We See the Unseen

  A blessed Christmastide to you and Happy New Year.  This time of year always brings on a taking stock frame of mind.  Recently mine has revolved around pondering the dual aspect of reality – seen and unseen.  How does

Stephen Rankin December 30, 2020December 31, 2020 Christian Life, Religion No Comments Read more

The (Local) Church, More Important Than Ever

We are hearing from a number of quarters that American society is in trouble like we haven’t seen in a long time.  I share this worry.  We feel it locally, among our neighborhoods and acquaintances.  The blight of hatred spreads

Stephen Rankin November 7, 2020November 7, 2020 Ministry, Religion, The Church 1 Comment Read more

The Transformation of Congregational Culture

In Hosea 2, we find a beautiful promise of restoration immediately after God’s judgment against Israel’s infamous infidelity. The language in the promise is that of the New Creation. “On that day” God will reclaim the adulteress Israel.  The Lord

Stephen Rankin September 28, 2020September 28, 2020 Christian Life, Ministry, Religion, The Church, United Methodism No Comments Read more

Fixing Jesus

It now appears that an interpretation of Jesus’ being cured of racism in his response to the Syro-phoenician woman in Mark 7 has some real staying power among a slice of United Methodists.  You can read the story at Mark

Stephen Rankin August 24, 2020August 25, 2020 Doctrine/Theology, Religion No Comments Read more

Guest Blog: The Purpose of Youth Ministry

(The following essay comes from the Rev. Wendy Mohler Seib, a PhD candidate in practical theology and Director of Faith Formation for Youth and Young Adults at the Institute for Discipleship at Southwestern College.  The American church needs to re-think

Stephen Rankin August 20, 2020 Christian Life, Emerging adults, Ministry, Religion, youth ministry No Comments Read more
  • « Previous
  • Next »

Archives

Categories

  • Book Reviews
  • Christian Life
  • College Ministry
  • Doctrine/Theology
  • Emerging adults
  • General
  • Higher and Theological Education
  • Ministry
  • Preaching/Teaching
  • Religion
  • The Church
  • Uncategorized
  • United Methodism
  • youth ministry

Recent Comments

  • Stephen Rankin on The Troubling Use of “Information”
  • Corine Willilams on The Troubling Use of “Information”
  • North Texas Congregant on A Bishop Reinstated
  • Carylon Flax on Boundary Questions Refuse to Go Away
  • Danny Blue on Dogma as Drama – Thank You, Dorothy Sayers

Categories

  • Book Reviews
  • Christian Life
  • College Ministry
  • Doctrine/Theology
  • Emerging adults
  • General
  • Higher and Theological Education
  • Ministry
  • Preaching/Teaching
  • Religion
  • The Church
  • Uncategorized
  • United Methodism
  • youth ministry

Meet Steve

I serve as Executive Director of the Spiritual Maturity Project, a ministry some of us have recently started.  For 25 years I worked in higher education as a professor and chaplain and before that as a pastor.  I love to help people grapple with big and basic questions to grow into real ,grown-up Christian discipleship.

I ruminate on all manner of theological, biblical, historical, and cultural topics. I believe followers of Jesus need to be more like members of Issachar’s tribe, able to read the times. Read more

 

Tags

Adam Hamilton Bible bishops Book of Discipline Christian Smith Christian witness Christmas Civil Rights college students congregations Constitutional Amendments discipleship doctrine Easter Emergent Christianity Emerging adults evangelism Faith General Conference God higher education homosexuality incarnation Jesus John Wesley Jr. Judicial Council Kathleen Garces-Foley leadership love Martin Luther King nones pro-life Religion resurrection sexuality spirituality spiritual maturity theology Tim Clydesdale United Methodist United Methodist Church United Methodists United States Witness
Copyright © 2025 Rankin File. All rights reserved. Theme Spacious by ThemeGrill. Powered by: WordPress.
  • Home
  • Publications
  • Speaking
  • Audio / Video
  • Book Reviews
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin
  • Feed