Jane Webb Childress: Grace to get through summer
She never expected old hymns to bring "showers of blessing" on a hot summer Sunday in East Texas. But that's the power of music to connect us -- a gift of grace, says a Christian writer.
Theological Reflection
Most Recently Published
Deanna Thompson: How to live like we’re dying
Five years after a breast cancer diagnosis that at first appeared to be an immediate death sentence, a theologian works to live in the space between death and resurrection.
Ed Moore: Godzilla to Caiaphas
The new version of “Godzilla” reminds a pastor that stories are always in danger of being sanitized, whether a monster movie warning of atomic danger or the sacred story of Jesus.
A. Trevor Sutton: The biblical power of names
Getting to know the creatures in his backyard prompts a Christian writer to consider the power of names. Authentic relationships are crucial, and we cannot truly care for something that we do not truly know.
Steve Bell: Music is a tilling of soil
Music breaks open hard ground, preparing it for a seed to be planted, says the Canadian singer-songwriter and Christian musician.
La Lapidation de saint Étienne, painting by Charles LeBrun (1619-1690)
C. Kavin Rowe: Suffering is part of thriving
Final essay in a seven-part series. If we expect to see the kingdom of God, writes the New Testament scholar, we should expect to suffer.
Laura Stern: Cut off or cast away?
As a tough winter gives way to spring, a pastor on an island cut off many times during the season wonders if her church has fared a little too well in isolation.
Laura E. Everett: The face of an institution
What does it mean theologically to be the 'face' of a Christian institution? The director of the Massachusetts Council of Churches offers four suggestions.
Mark Ralls: It’s not a ship; it’s a boat
A family cruise to Alaska left a landlubber pastor confused about seafaring lingo from starboard to port. But on this point he is certain: the church is not a ship; it’s a boat.
Creating the conditions to nurture hope
The current situation facing Christian institutions can evoke fear. Yet we can, and should, recover hope by grounding our work in the hope of the resurrection and new life.