RPLI Posts

How Religious Communities Might Lean into 2022

America is in for a bumpy 2022. Consider a few of the accumulating moral and spiritual dilemmas facing us (there are many more…). Surely, America will surpass one million people […]

Read More

Nativity Politics

Occasionally I hear from laity or clergy concerning discussing politics in church. Of course, who would want to use worship, a ministry meeting, or a church school class to replicate […]

Read More

Enough

When my oldest child was young, he often heard his parents say, “No, that is too much,” when he grabbed an excess of something off a buffet or wanted more […]

Read More

Jesus, Son of Herod

We know the story told by Matthew that Herod, the Roman-appointed king of the Jews, received the Persian Magi looking for the child born to be king of the Jews. […]

Read More

Christianity is Poor Social Glue

A former official from the former administration opined a few days ago that America is one nation under God and requires one religion. I’m sure the religion he had in […]

Read More

A Future for Christianity in America

Last week, I finished recording the last two lectures for the online, public course I’ve taught (five of the six lectures are available for anyone to view on the seminary’s […]

Read More

A Moment at Lucy’s Therapy Booth

Peanuts, the comic strip written by Charles Schulz from the 1950 until 2000, remains my favorite. I am grateful to my wife who found me a vintage Snoopy-as-professor, my go-to […]

Read More

Good Thing We Don’t Essentialize Identity

A woman’s family story claimed the family was 100 percent Irish. The family celebrated all things Irish. But then, through DNA ancestry testing, the woman discovered that her dad, who […]

Read More

Grace for Clergy

Clergy health and well-being have been career-long interests for me. About 25 years ago, I explored the question as to why so many early Methodist circuit riders died or dropped […]

Read More