Church
A rich woman who took the Magnificat seriously
Vida Dutton Scudder, an early 20th-century radical, points Christians to solidarity and martyrdom.
Are all Christians adopted?
Paul’s metaphor can be harmful to those of us who have experienced adoption—and the abandonment that is usually central to it.
Seeking justice for a 19th-century rape survivor
In 1894, Baylor University covered up the rape of a 14-year-old girl on campus. Two Baylor professors make the case against the university.
My Pentecostal kin
In my Argentine in-laws’ neighborhoods, there are Protestant churches on every corner. They aren’t mainline.
Religion that harms
Drawing on both research and personal experience, therapist Laura Anderson explores the trauma caused by high-control religion.
A clear view
When our congregation designed our new sanctuary, we wanted windows that help us see our neighborhood’s needs.
When rituals leave us full—and then empty
Leaving the jailhouse graduation, I wondered, Where have I felt like this before?
Restoring the land
Nearly all of the land we live on was taken from Native people. What can property owners do to make it right?
The complicated women of mainline Protestantism
Margaret Bendroth tells the stories of mid-20th century women who fought patriarchy from within the church.
Catharsis at church
The book of Ezra helped me realize how bad most congregations are at handling big emotions.
A better response to the decline of the Christian West
Some fight to preserve what is fading. Michel de Certeau shows how this is an enormous theological error.
Honoring the mothers of environmental justice
Dollie Burwell and Hazel Johnson have been under-recognized in environmental studies—and relegated to mere footnotes in church history.
Anorexia in the communion line
As I stealthily slipped the body of Christ into my pocket, I prayed that no one was watching.
As a pastor, it’s my job to pay attention
In the Mennonite tradition, we are all priests. But I still have a particular role to play.
September 10, Ordinary 23A (Matthew 18:15–20)
The only place in the Gospels where Jesus says anything about the church is Matthew 18—and not insignificantly, he brings it up in terms of conflict management.
Prayers rising past the immanent frame
Charles Taylor helps me understand my church’s architecture—and my own struggles with faith.
Choosing solidarity with God
In a sense, I am asking my parishioners the same thing John Wesley asked: Are you going on?
