Mary’s Devoted Heart
Mary's Devoted Heart By Dick McClain Growing up, I don’t recall having heard a sermon on Mary, the mother of Jesus. She did get dusted off every December for the Christmas pageant. But apart from her annual appearance reincarnated in the form of a budding young...
Marks of a Methodist 6: Perfection
Marks of a Methodist 6: Perfection By Thomas Lambrecht This edition of Perspective concludes our survey of the marks or characteristics of a Methodist, as put forward by Bishop Gerald Kennedy in his 1960 book of that name. We have seen that the marks of a Methodist...
Better Together: Embodied Community
By Thomas Lambrecht The slogan “We Are Better Together” has been used for everything from a political campaign to the headline for efforts to keep The United Methodist Church from separating. Efforts to promote greater unity in our country deserve support. After all,...
Mary’s Devoted Heart
Mary's Devoted Heart By Dick McClain Growing up, I don’t recall having heard a sermon on Mary, the mother of Jesus. She did get dusted off every December for the Christmas pageant. But apart from her annual appearance reincarnated in the form of a budding young...
Iowa Cabinet Jumps the Gun
By Thomas Lambrecht In the sport of track, races are often set off by the firing of a starter’s gun. Racers who cross the starting line and begin the race before the gun fires are said to have “jumped the gun.” That is exactly what the Iowa Appointive Cabinet has done...
A Time to Prepare
By Thomas Lambrecht - In the church calendar, the Advent season – the four weeks leading up to Christmas – are set aside as a time of preparation for the celebration of Christ’s birth. The idea is taken from Isaiah 40:3, “A voice of one calling in the...
Boundaries of the Faith
By Thomas Lambrecht -- I recently read a diagnosis that said many of the ills in today’s society can be traced to the blurring or ignoring of boundaries. That same diagnosis can serve to describe much of what ails The United Methodist Church. Boundaries in Doctrine...
Life Vests and Torpedoes
By Steve Beard - Some of the most emotional moments broadcast on television are when deployed military parents return unexpectedly to surprise their kids coming home from school, during a musical recital, or at a graduation. Sheer joy boils over and you can almost...
Finding (Another) Way Forward
By Thomas Lambrecht Since the 2016 General Conference, The United Methodist Church has been trying to find a way to resolve our differences that can be supported by a majority of the denomination. The Commission on a Way Forward was set up to bring...
Options for Clergy under the Protocol
By Thomas Lambrecht - As might be expected, the proposed adoption of the Protocol for Reconciliation and Grace through Separation by the 2022 General Conference has provoked anxiety among clergy wanting to understand its implications for their future service in the...
Farewell to a Friend: Remembering William J. Abraham
On Thursday, October 7, United Methodism lost a remarkable scholar who exercised his theological and spiritual gifts with wit and precision. Dr. William J. Abraham was one of the theologian pillars of the church – not just in Methodism, but in broader ecumenical...
Pro-Life Logic
By Thomas Lambrecht - Controversy is ramping up over abortion, as several states have passed more restrictive laws and some are contemplating the possibility that the Supreme Court might reverse the Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion. The proposed new...
