Almost two weeks have passed since the Uniting Methodists made public their vision for institutional unity in the midst of our fractiousness. As usual, I’m late getting to the party, but now, finally, I have dutifully considered their statements, as I
As mainline Protestant churches age and decline in membership, concern for “what young people think” has become a common reference point in opinions about how the church should change. In my own United Methodist denomination, with our fight-to-the-death controversies especially
The word “evangelical” has become fraught with all kinds of difficulties. This is a sad state of affairs because it is a very good word. Nonetheless, a significant number of Christians who by their beliefs fit the term have stopped
For some time our Sunday School class has been exploring beliefs about how God’s action intersects with human actions. Readers of the Bible know that it’s pretty easy to see God’s action there, because on every page God acts. But
(I preached the following sermon at the annual Lifewatch Service [lifewatch.org] yesterday in Simpson Chapel in the United Methodist Building in Washington, DC. It is based on the scripture text, Hebrews 11:32-28.) The Apostle Paul, in the fourth chapter