What if we were to understand the resurrection and ascension not as the bodily translation of some individuals to another world — a mythology no longer credible to us — but as the promise of God to be permanently present, ‘bodily’ present to us, in
Shaping the face of a new Christianity When it comes to retired Anglican Bishop John Shelby Spong, there seems to be no middle ground. Either you love him or you hate him. Just a quick gander at the reviews posted on Amazon of his new
I tried desperately to find another topic for this issue — anything. I wracked my brain. I paced and thought, sat and thought, slept on it — all to no avail. The topic was clear — there was no getting around it. God kept prodding
From “Simon Says” to “Mother May I?” As a child I never was very good at playing “Simon Says.” [1] I would always, inevitably, make some illegal movement and be tossed, unceremoniously, from the game. I always wondered, “Who is this Simon and how did
The gift of otherness Being a gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender Christian can be tiring, frustrating even. It seems that we are always on the defensive, always having to explain ourselves, justify our existence or tell people over and over again why the Bible does
“You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that — and shudder.” — James 2:18-20 [NRSV] “Even the demons believe!” That’s the refrain of countless numbers of letters that I receive as editor of this magazine. The critics are responding to
Daring to be spiritually incorrect Joseph Sharp’s new book is an answer to my prayers. In the midst of the summer doldrums I had asked God to send me an uplifting book that I could read before fall classes covered me up with a series
Gentle Spirit Christian Church, Atlanta, Ga. Readings: Proverbs 25:21-22; Romans 12:14-18; Matthew 5:11-12, 38-48 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. (Romans 12:14) Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you
“What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think. … It is the harder because you will always find those who think they know what is your duty better than you know it. It is easy in the world to
Gentle Spirit Christian Church, Atlanta, Ga. Readings: Ezekiel 36:25-28, Luke 12:1-12, 2 Corinthians 3:7-18 I wish I could stand in front of you today without my sermon written word for word on the page. I prayed about it last week. As I stood here as