With Faith, Pondering Death
With Faith, Pondering Death - By Terry Mattingly - There was nothing unusual, in the early 1970s, about a student hearing one of his professors preach during chapel. But one sermon – “How Would You Like to Die?” – impressed the seminarian who would later become...
Offer them Christ
Offer them Christ - By Rob Renfroe - I had a strange reaction as I read a United Methodist News article about a youth conference held this summer. The theme of “Youth 2023” was BOLD – Being Ourselves, Living Different. It was sponsored by Discipleship Ministries and...
Bright Light In Montgomery
By Steve Beard - The sun was bright and unforgiving as I paid my respects at the gravesite of Hank Williams on a bluff in Montgomery, Alabama. A cowboy hat would have helped. The heat was a far cry from the dreary night of January 1, 1953, when much of the South was...
Prayers When Things Are Dark
By Tish Harrison Warren - It was a dark year in every sense. It began with the move from my sunny hometown, Austin, Texas, to Pittsburgh in early January. One week later, my dad, back in Texas, died in the middle of the night. Always towering and certain as a...
Dissecting “Inclusiveness” Theology
By Thomas Lambrecht - In a sermon preached in the run-up to the 2019 General Conference, Bishop Elaine Stanovsky (Greater Northwest Episcopal Area) promoted the One Church Plan and her vision for the inclusiveness of the church. That vision reflects the understanding...
Back to Our Future
By Mike Lowry, Bishop of the Central Texas Conference The harsh reality is that we are in a post-Christendom age. No longer does the Christian faith, and more specifically the United Methodist Church, assume a leading societal position. During my first year or so as...
Speaking Up for Women
By Thomas Lambrecht - Now that the Taliban has taken over Afghanistan, many are concerned about the future for women and girls in that country. The Taliban has a history of oppressing women and depriving them of human rights, as well as administering harsh...
Why We Need a Denomination
By Thomas Lambrecht - Denominations are not in vogue right now in American culture. For the past 20 years, the non-denominational church movement has grown across the country until its congregations make up a significant portion of the Body of Christ in the U.S. and...
