John Vest

John Vest is a youth minister at Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago and a doctoral student at McCormick Theological Seminary. His blog is part of the CCblogs network.

Articles by John Vest

From the CCblogs Network

The church as blueberry pancake

May 14, 2013 by John Vest

It was either Rocky Supinger or Greg Bolt that turned me on to marketing guru Seth Godin. I subscribed to his blog and read it with interest. I often find in his posts compelling connections or challenges for the church. I’ve considered writing posts that tease out these connections, so here’s a first attempt.

From the CCblogs Network

Confirmation as bridge

Apr 08, 2013 by John Vest

Like the majority of Presbyterians—and perhaps the majority of all mainline Protestants—our church offers confirmation for youth who are in eighth grade. The church I served previously did confirmation in ninth grade, so I’ve always reflected on the difference between the two. At first, my thinking mostly involved differences in maturity.

From the CCblogs Network

An unquenchable trust

Jan 25, 2013 by John Vest

The below train of thought was prompted by reflection on my grandmother’s death and the opportunity I had to officiate her funeral. She was quite certain about what awaited her on the other side.

I, on the other hand, am deeply agnostic about what happens to us when we die.

From the CCblogs Network

God doesn't cause rape

Oct 24, 2012 by John Vest

Debates about abortion aren’t typically in my wheelhouse, but reflecting on God’s activity in the world is. In particular, I am consistently fascinated—and mostly perplexed—by the theological concept of providence, the notion that God somehow controls all aspects of human history.

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