wonderful thoughts from the Pope, intellectually coherent and practically relevant and doable IMO
Weekly lessons in theology and public life • Since 2011
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Lesson 6: Women
Read MORE: Lesson 6: WomenHardly a day goes by that I do not hear someone on a news program comment, “I grew up in the Church. The Church is very important to me, but…” It very obvious that the speaker no longer worships, yet…
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Lesson 5: Staff II
Read MORE: Lesson 5: Staff IILet’s look further at the two creative congregations’ staff lists (Trinity, Mount Joy and Good Shepherd, Gaithersburg) for clues about the future church. The first thing you notice is their length. Even though they are large churches, they have more…
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Lesson 4: Staff 1
Read MORE: Lesson 4: Staff 1I consider my two son-in-laws’ congregations to be cutting edge. A number of their practices indicate where the Church is going. Even a quick look at their staff lists gives you some clues. (Good Shepherd,Gaithersburg,MD. and Trinity, Mount Joy, PA…
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Lesson 3: Youth Groups
Read MORE: Lesson 3: Youth GroupsIf recent refusals of denominations to finance their seminaries are self- defeating, the tendency of many to neglect youth work is just as silly. It is certainly a factor in the lack of young people at our worship services. I…
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Lesson 2: Ecumenical Seminaries
Read MORE: Lesson 2: Ecumenical SeminariesSeveral decades ago some writers observed progressives in all denominations are more comfortable with progressives in all other denominations than they are with conservatives in their own. Chances are this situation foreshadows what lies ahead for the American Church. It…
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Lesson 1: Future Organization
Read MORE: Lesson 1: Future OrganizationA Sunday School class in one of my sons-in-laws’ congregations was discussing the relationship of the Roman Catholics and Lutherans. A question arose why there was not more unity after 40 years of theological discussions that concluded agreement on just…
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Lesson 19: What a Johannine Church Looks Like
Read MORE: Lesson 19: What a Johannine Church Looks LikeWe always hear we need authority in order to keep unity in the Church. Those making the claim usually mean they have the proper theology to which everyone else must conform. However, this kind of authority has done little to…
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Lesson 18: Reading the First Letter of John
Read MORE: Lesson 18: Reading the First Letter of JohnA good way to review the Gospel of John is to take ten minutes for a read of the First Letter of John. It makes very clear what the evangelist is trying to say. It is clear that he is…
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Lesson 17: Jesus Appears by the Sea (John 21)
Read MORE: Lesson 17: Jesus Appears by the Sea (John 21)Matthew and Mark report that the message at the empty tomb sends the disciples back to Galilee where Jesus will meet them. Luke’s version tells them to remain in Jerusalem. At first, John seems to support Luke, seemingly ending his…
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Lesson 16: Ressurection I
Read MORE: Lesson 16: Ressurection IAny casual reader should be able easily to see the extensive differences between the four gospels’ reports about the empty tomb on Easter, even though we hardly ever hear preachers address them. They disagree about both who was there and…
Recent Comments
I absolutely love these ideas, especially paying attention to beauty and reducing your needs.
Fritz a wonderful lesson – and esp. reading has a flow I found encompassing. If only …….. yes we can…