Latest Articles
Ukrainian military chaplains learn pluralism on the job
What to do if a soldier from another denomination asks for a prayer?
Corrected by Jesus (John 3:1-17)
Jesus’ response to Nicodemus takes the form of a mild rebuke.
The wilderness of a rural ministry circuit
I’m now a half-time “missional coach” to a six-church parish. I have many questions.
Navigating James Baldwin’s legacy
Greg Garrett provides a road map for the terrain of the prophetic writer’s work and thought.
Defrocked UMC pastor reinstated after LGBTQ bans lifted
On May 3, its final day, the United Methodist Church’s general conference voted to allow for the reinstatement of clergy who previously were defrocked under the denomination’s LGBTQ bans....
Displaced Christians in Burma celebrate Easter in war zone
On a hill within an internally displaced people’s camp in Burma’s Karenni State, a solitary cross, scarred by a recent Burmese army airstrike, stands adjacent to a damaged Catholic church....
A land dispute in the Old City
Armenian activists in Jerusalem are outraged over an agreement to lease communal land to a hotel developer.
Tear gas over the soccer field
“You’re welcome to take it back home with you,” my Palestinian friend said as I looked at the US-made canister in my hand. “Actually, take all of them.”
The Pharisees didn’t kill Jesus
If they had been the ones presiding over Jesus’ trial, says biblical scholar Israel Knohl, there wouldn’t have been a crucifixion.
Background checks, essential for kids' ministry, often remain a mystery
About 10 years ago, when the state of Pennsylvania passed a law requiring a background c...
Making room in the UMC for the Spirit’s work
The denomination’s new regionalization plan is a marked break from its colonial hangover.
May 26, Trinity B (John 3:1–17)
Sometimes being truly free in the Spirit means being deeply bound to the outworking of God’s mission in the world.
Episcopal priest could be defrocked over 'Eucharistic fast'
An Episcopal priest may lose his credentials in the denomination after observing a “Eucharistic fast” in the name of racial justice....
Going away and coming closer (John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15)
How could it be better for Jesus to go away?
Gathering for good
On a Copenhagen street, emergency responders and passersby formed a spontaneous community.
What’s behind the grad student strike at Boston University?
My students are being financially exploited—based on a social imaginary that doesn’t reflect the realities of higher ed.
Missed opportunities at the UMC general conference
We took some good steps. But we are too afraid to name certain truths.
A pastor’s disappointments
Amy Butler’s memoir is a story of relentless striving and continued failures. In other words, it’s a story of the church.
1,200 Jewish professors call on Senate to reject controversial antisemitism definition
Some 1,200 Jewish university professors have signed a statement rejecting a controversial antisemitism definition that the US Senate is considering codifying in federal law....
Carlton Minnick, influential UMC bishop, dies at 96
Carlton “C.P.” Minnick, a former president of the United Methodist council of bishops, died May 4. He was 96....