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May 2021

May 20, 2021

How Religious Freedom Benefits the Black Church

The fight for religious freedom must include defending the rights of all people.

April 2017

April 03, 2017

Leaving Church to Search for God

This morning our family lingered at length over our breakfast. We poured warm syrup over...

February 2017

February 28, 2017

The Preacher Persisted: Finding Courage in the Pulpit

Despite the push-back I have received against my sermons that tackle controversial issues, here’s one...

January 2017

January 18, 2017

The Spirituality of Popular Music: Raising Funds, Lifting Spirits & Attracting Newcomers

In an era when fewer and fewer people go to church, it is often the...

November 2016

November 11, 2016

10 Ways to Care for Our Veterans Today, and Every Day

10 Ways to Care for Our Veterans Today, and Every Day We give our nation’s...

August 2016

August 30, 2016

Real Youth Ministry: More Than Kumbaya Around the Campfire

By David Stevenson Real youth ministry isn’t about making nice. It’s about making waves. It’s...

August 02, 2016

I Dare You to Ask: On the Value of a ‘Beginner’s Mind’ in a World of Pre-Packaged Answers

In a moment when our world’s submerged ideological divisions are surfacing violently, it is critical...

August 01, 2016

Part-Time Jesus: On Being Church in the Summer

For the remaining Sundays between now and Labor Day -- if you cannot physically be...

July 2016

July 27, 2016

Patheos 10+1: A Q&A with Duke Divinity School Dean Elaine Heath

"We are at the front end of a new reformation, which will likely take many...

July 20, 2016

Finding God in the Gym: From Crossfit to Church

What people may not tell you is that there is an irresistible element of encouragement...

July 15, 2016

Church: Can We Get Over Ourselves?

As Christendom declines and Emergence Christianity continues to blossom in all its messy glory, we...

May 2016

May 10, 2016

Pass the Peace, Please

In flu season, we avoid shaking hands with each other for fear that we will...

May 05, 2016

5 Ways the Church Hurts on Mother’s Day

By Elizabeth Hagan Mothers Day. In many churches its celebrated as a church holiday when...

April 2016

April 27, 2016

Hip-Hop as Theological Exploration

If it weren’t for hip-hop, I wouldn’t be in the church, period. What I later...

March 2016

March 31, 2016

Building the New City: Church-Planting for Social and Environmental Justice

By Tyler Sit, Church planter of New City Church Over the next 12 months, the...

January 2016

January 27, 2016

The Death and Resurrection of the Liberal Church: A Response to Chris Hedges

By Rev. Dr. Christian Scharen Vice President of Applied Research and The Center for the...

January 26, 2016

Patheos 10 + 1: A Q&A with Bar Church Pastor Jerry Herships

No joke: a pastor walks into a bar and starts a church. Also no joke:...

January 07, 2016

The Church of “We Don’t Quite Know What We’re Talking About”

Enough already! Many of us have confusion, misgivings, sorrows and anger about Christian churches and...

October 2015

October 27, 2015

7 Steps Faith Communities Can Take to Help End Gun Violence

Ever wonder how your faith community can help end the plague of gun violence in...

October 08, 2015

Finding God in the World: An Interview with Diana Butler Bass

"Maybe one of the things that churches need to do is stop looking at themselves, and...

August 2015

August 05, 2015

Why I’m a Christian, Still

The relentless religious decline of my fellow Americans doesn’t really surprise me -- even as I...

August 04, 2015

Can we Stop for a Minute? A Call for an Ecclesiastical Intervention

It never changes. At every event, at every workshop, in so many of our sanctuaries...

July 2015

July 06, 2015

10 Questions Jesus Would Use To Evaluate a Ministry

Summer is that time of year where some ministry begins to slow down (unless you...

June 2015

June 30, 2015

Insecurity about Church Security

By Dwight Lee Wolter. Recent events, including the massacre of nine people in a...

June 11, 2015

English Class Leaves Woman Speechless

By Ashleigh Joyner One woman couldn’t believe that a group of people who didn’t even...

June 09, 2015

The Best Years of My Life: Falling Back in Love with the Church

By Sophia Agtarap When church was just a habit without meaning, Matt Hooper walked away....

March 2015

March 12, 2015

Dear Church (A Letter from Your Future Self)

Hey Buddy! You're looking a little tired and a bit stressed out. We know Easter...

January 2015

January 14, 2015

Two Conversations Christians Need to Have in 2015

America is coming apart at the seams. Greed, corruption, fear, and violence are among our...

January 08, 2015

Trust Me, Church: Five Micro-Resolutions That Make a Big Difference

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I said to myself as the storm door pumped...