Theological Reflection

Trusting the winds of God in leadership

Winds offer both assistance and resistance. Being open to them as direction from God can inform how we lead, writes a Chicago pastor.

By Frazlier L. Pope III Executive pastor, Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church

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It’s time to reclaim creativity

Christians should embrace creativity as a way to make space for God and to imagine things beyond their own capabilities, writes a pastor and denominational leader.

By Chris Aho Director, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Thriving Congregations Initiative

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Advice for Epiphany: ‘Keep your eyes on the baby!’

Watching a 2-year-old reminds a loving grandmother of the way Epiphany grounds us, revealing a baby — the Christ child.

By Gretchen E. Ziegenhals Spiritual director and retreat leader

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Mary’s mothering included many moments of tender nurture

The flesh-and-blood humanity of Mary’s motherhood has often been lost in our celebration of Advent.

By Aleta Payne Senior editor, Faith & Leadership

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Humbling ourselves to welcome one another in the spirit of hospitality

A mother’s boundless generosity reflects the Christian call to hospitality, writes an associate director of the Thriving Congregations Coordination Program.

By Angel Eaglin Associate Director, Thriving Congregations Coordination Program

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What do you pray for before an election?

Faith & Leadership asked various faith leaders from multiple backgrounds to help lead us in prayer before another watershed U.S. election.

Finding comfort with the saints among the stars

As we mark All Saints’ Day, the births and deaths of stars, side by side, serve as a reminder of God’s bigger picture, writes a director of educational programing for Leadership Education at Duke Divinity.

By Angie Kay Hong Director of Educational Programs, Leadership Education at Duke Divinity

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Forget optimism — choose hope

Hopeful people don’t blindly assume that everything is going to be all right; they work for a better future, writes the director of research at Duke’s Office of Climate and Sustainability.

By Norman Wirzba Gilbert T. Rowe Distinguished Professor, Duke Divinity School

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How long, O Lord? How long?

What might we hear and think and do as faith leaders as the war in the Middle East grinds on?

By Peter A. Pettit Teaching pastor, St. Paul Lutheran Church

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Like nature, congregations may change slowly

While we admire speed and efficiency, successful change can require time and patience, writes an associate director for Leadership at Duke Divinity’s Thriving Congregations Coordination Program.