Embodying MLK’s Dream Today

Column by Rev. Irene Monroe on February, 6 2025

King would remind us that we cannot heal the world without healing ourselves. In light of King’s teachings, healing ourselves is the greatest task and the most difficult work we must do. This work must be done in relation to our justice work in the world.

The Emergent Bible

Column by Rev. Jim Burklo on January, 30 2025

it should be no surprise that the library of 66 books known to us as the Bible does not conform to current distinctions between fact and fable.  What opens to us between its covers is a window into eras long past and into the depths of our own souls in the present. A strong hint of the Bible’s nature is the uncertainty of the identities of its many authors. 

Surviving the Terrifying Future

Column by Rev. Deshna Charron Shine on January, 23 2025

Sometimes, it feels like the whole world is burning, flooding, warring, and dying. Personally, these times are very ungrounding and fear-provoking.

Getting Over the Grand Narrative

Column by Rev. Dr. Caleb J. Lines on January, 16 2025

I love a good story, and the Exodus story is one of the best in the Bible!  …What a story!  It’s filled with drama, violence, intrigue, unlikely heroes, and unexpected twists.  It’s fun to read, even though many of us know it well.

Give Us a King!

Column by Dr. Carl Krieg on January, 9 2025

Mythology is a way to tell the truth, and the Hebrew writings are a string of pearls, one myth after the other, one truth after the other, and the truths tell a grim story about who we are as human beings.

The Rise of Hate in Post-election America

Column by Rev. Dr. Jeffrey Frantz on January, 2 2025

As the reality of this “hate language” settles in, imagine if you are a person of color in this country.  My spouse is Hispanic, from Panama.  Both she and her younger sister, who lives with us, say they no longer feel safe here.

Liturgy in a Living Tradition

Column by Brian McLaren on December, 26 2024

In a living religious tradition, participants have, not simply permission, but more: a moral responsibility to adapt and innovate in an attempt to improve the truth, goodness, and beauty of the version of the tradition they received from their ancestors. 

Such a Strange Way to Save The World

Column by Rev. Dr. Mark Sandlin on December, 19 2024

When it comes to “saving the world,” I am much more interested in the life and teachings of Jesus than I am in any divinely ordered sacrificial actions that humanity has overly burdened the stories with. Even in the stories themselves, we see signs of the importance of his life and teachings.

Now Is The Time To Be Prophets

Column by Rev. Brandan Robertson on December, 12 2024

Biblically, there’s no indication that prophets necessarily have supernatural powers. Occasionally, prophets hear the voice of God and communicate it to their people, but more often, prophets are simply those who perceive the actions of their communities and deduce the likely consequences.

It’s Time to Get Weird

Column by Rev. Roger Wolsey on December, 5 2024

Donald Trump is returning to office. The part of me that majored in Political Science wants to remind us of how political pendulums tend to swing back and forth over the years, and even so, general progress has been taking place for humanity. This part wants to join St. Julian of Norwich in saying that in the big picture, “all shall be well.”