Features
Making room in the UMC for the Spirit’s work
The denomination’s new regionalization plan is a marked break from its colonial hangover.
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.
My bookshelf at the end
Packing up my library, I decided to let go of my Wolfhart Pannenberg books—and the wounds they represent.
The Court’s embrace of the divine right of presidents
In the Trump v. United States oral arguments, the conservative justices sought what Justice Gorsuch called “a rule for the ages”—one that doesn’t impair the sovereign grandeur of presidential power.
Latino churches are social service hubs
Yet their extensive efforts go largely unseen outside their communities.
Early Christianity, fragment by fragment
A new published volume of ancient papyri contains sayings, attributed to Jesus, that were previously unknown—including a dialogue with a disciple named Mary.
What comes after clergy self-care?
I didn’t need more candles or journaling. I needed solidarity with others.
Ministry and other difficult jobs
Pastors face intense challenges—though not necessarily unique ones.
Divine love in Hosea 11
Human parents, even good ones, have limits. God does not.
The wisdom of not knowing
The information age feels like an all-you-can-eat buffet. I’m stuffed.
An anti-Christian lawsuit
When Texas attorney general Ken Paxton filed a suit against a Catholic volunteer organization in El Paso, he went against his own church’s statement of faith.
Why do you want to see?
The Zone of Interest interrogates the desire to bear witness that animates the Holocaust movie as a genre.
My evangelical feminist friend Letha
There is no greater evidence of how much Letha Dawson Scanzoni valued relationships than her letters.
A holy fool with chocolate
Understanding Wonka in light of the gospel’s message of radical, unconfined love
The slow work of dialogue
For 20 years, Mennonite scholars from North America and Shi’a scholars from Iran have met periodically to build bridges.
To forgive is exclusively divine
Ancient Israel’s war with Amalek is a lesson in repentance and covenant.
Christian life in The School of Athens
My upbringing made me a Platonist. Motherhood made me an Aristotelian. I never left either behind.
In search of Rumi’s live heart
Looking for an Arabic translation of a favorite line, I found myself on a treasure hunt.
Repairing the redlined body of Christ
My church wanted to participate in our city’s reparations efforts. We began in our archives.