Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Talk with the Preacher

Home
Progressive Christian

2015-10-14T20:56:21-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Sacred and the Profane

Last updated on: October 14, 2015 at 8:56 pm By Amy Butler

I’ll tell you what I tell my children: it is never appropriate to use bad language. Let me add a further clarification to this directive. It’s especially important never to use bad language in an interview with the Washington Post in which you are identified as the pastor of a church . . . in an article that is published with full color pictures the day before the quarterly all-church business meeting (look it up—I am not really interested in... Read more

Answering the Call

Favorite

2015-10-14T20:56:21-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

A Prayer for Allie

Last updated on: October 14, 2015 at 8:56 pm By Amy Butler

I knew Allie Bucy when she was about 8. Her mom, Carolyn was the youth minister at the church where I was a member. I was pretty self-involved at the time (what’s new?), planning for my wedding and going through the process of licensing to the ministry at the church. I left soon after those two events, that year, in fact, to go to seminary and on my way in life. My path recently crossed Allie’s again when her mom,... Read more

Answering the Call

Curating Wisdom

Grief

2015-10-14T20:56:21-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Anxious Presence

Last updated on: October 14, 2015 at 8:56 pm By Amy Butler

It’s the first thing you learn in basic pastoral care class. The role of a pastor in a crisis situation is to be a non-anxious presence. That means that the pastor is supposed to be calm and reassuring under all conditions, even when everyone else is freaking out. The irony of this critical vocational skill is that there really is no learning a non-anxious presence. No class, practicum, study guide or tutorial . . . only really hard situations in... Read more

Answering the Call

Grief

2015-10-14T20:56:21-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Everybody Loves You When You’re Easy

Last updated on: October 14, 2015 at 8:56 pm By Amy Butler

The words to Sarah McLachlan’s song Black and White keep echoing in my head today. You know them? “ . . . everybody loves you when you’re easy, everybody hates when you’re a bore; everyone is waiting for your entrance so don’t disappoint them . . . everybody loves you when you’re easy so don’t disappoint them . . . don’t disappoint them . . . .”Life’s hard at the moment. All my hang-your-hopes feelings about the healing power of... Read more

Answering the Call

Being the Church

Curating Wisdom

Living in Relationship

2015-10-14T20:56:21-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Gray

Last updated on: October 14, 2015 at 8:56 pm By Amy Butler

The sky was gray today. In the middle of a heart-achingly beautiful springtime filled with cherry blossoms and dappled sunlight, today the sky was flat, slate, gunmetal gray. The gray dulled the light so that everything looked a little subdued. As I made my way to the hospital I dodged in-between the raindrops, all the while watching the sky for the coming deluge. Even inside the hospital I noticed the gray. Gray halls with what seemed like miles of gray... Read more

Answering the Call

Grief

2015-10-14T20:56:22-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Shouldering It All

Last updated on: October 14, 2015 at 8:56 pm By Amy Butler

One thing I’ve learned recently is that if you are a mother you can never guarantee pristine shoulders. I thought for awhile that this was a side-effect of having babies and I’m happy to say that, in the case of the babies, I always planned accordingly. I remember the first thing I did after learning our daughter Hannah had been born and we were going to travel to pick her up at the hospital the next day was to dig... Read more

Answering the Call

Living in Relationship

Favorite

Parenting

Sam

2015-10-14T20:56:22-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Other Duties As Assigned

Last updated on: October 14, 2015 at 8:56 pm By Amy Butler

It’s the stuff you read in the newspaper way in the back by the comics. Or on The Onion. What I am trying to say is that this stuff just does not happen in real life. Well . . . it happened. Just yesterday, in fact. Downtown DC churches have been victims of a vicious crime spree over the last few months. I’m proud (?) to say I was first to have my office burglarized, although the resulting hours spent... Read more

Being the Church

Laughing Out Loud

2015-10-14T20:56:22-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Vision In the Ashes

Last updated on: October 14, 2015 at 8:56 pm By Amy Butler

I’ve met some really interesting folks through the interweaving of church and blog life. One is Tripp Hudgins, whose blog is at this link: http://www.anglobaptist.org/blog/As you might imagine, I like Tripp’s irreverent approach to life. I also like that one of my wonderful new church members, Amy Dale, recently moved her membership from Tripp’s church in Chicago (thanks!). However, in the throes of Holy Week last week I visited Tripp’s site and encountered this list of 12 Characteristics of an... Read more

Answering the Call

Curating Wisdom

2015-10-14T20:56:22-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Laugh Out Loud

Last updated on: October 14, 2015 at 8:56 pm By Amy Butler

Hats off to this funny lady . . . I had to reprint a blog entry she wrote called “Ministerial Attire,” which, as you may know, is a personal interest of mine. Who knew, however, that an entire blog could be devoted to this topic? A good, long laugh was most welcome today.“I had occasion to talk about dressing for the ministry with a group of seminarians recently, which was a kind of fulfillment of my secret desire to host... Read more

Answering the Call

Curating Wisdom

Laughing Out Loud

2015-10-14T20:56:22-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

How Can I Keep From Singing?

Last updated on: October 14, 2015 at 8:56 pm By Amy Butler

This song has wandered in and out of my life for some time. Most recently a friend emailed me the words . . . appropriate thoughts for this new day. Blessed Easter. How Can I Keep From SingingTraditional My life flows on in endless songAbove earth’s lamentationI hear the real, though far off hymnThat hails the new creationAbove the tumult and the strife,I hear the music ringing;It sounds an echo in my soulHow can I keep from singing?What though the... Read more

Curating Wisdom

Easter

Search for:

Meta

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who killed his brother: Cain or Abel?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Adam Cain Abel Seth

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Answering the Call Being the Church Curating Wisdom Laughing Out Loud Living in Relationship Practicing Discipleship Reclaiming Baptist Speaking from the Pulpit Uncategorized

Select a Month July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005

TRENDING AT PATHEOS Progressive Christian