By Dennis Matyas - News reached me last week of the closing of a church. This church was a small congregation in a small city that held their fellowship with the Presbyterian Church (USA). The news reached me because I was acquainted with it (in an oblique manner) and a few of its members. It … Continue reading On This Rock I Will Build My Church
By Tim Winterstein - “What is truth?” Pilate asked Jesus when Jesus said that those who are of the Truth listen to His voice (John 18:37-38). Intentionally or unintentionally, Hirokazu Kore-eda's The Third Murder ([Sandome no satsujin], 2017, streaming on Amazon Prime) is a longer meditation on Pilate's question, also in the context of a … Continue reading What is Truth?
By Tim Winterstein - There's nothing quite as uncomfortable as watching someone who does awkward well. In comedy, consider both Steve Carell's Michael Scott and Ricky Gervais' David Brent on both the American and English versions of The Office. But Jim Cummings could teach a master class on dramatic and (within the world of the … Continue reading Everything Falls Apart
By Tim Winterstein - [SPOILERS] I don't know if the current cultural moment is producing a thematic bounty of what it means to deal with pain and guilt or if it was always equally present. Either way, the idea of what to do with guilt we can't erase—because we can't go back and undo it—seems … Continue reading To Forget
By Paul Koch - As the 13th chapter of Mark’s Gospel comes to an end the focus or intended purpose of our Lord’s teaching becomes quite clear. It is summed up perfectly in the closing line, “What I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.” (Mark 13:37) Over and again the call of … Continue reading Stay Awake
By Bob Hiller - Remember that song by Garth Brooks where he sang, “Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers?” Yeah, unfortunately, so do I. It’s this sappy romantic song about how Garth and his wife went back to his hometown and ran across his boyhood crush, the one he had prayed and prayed for … Continue reading I Cannot Stop Listening: Gut Reactions to the New Derek Webb Album
By Paul Koch – Do you remember drinking from the garden hose as a child? I do. In fact when I’m working in the yard these days I will still get a quick drink from time to time from the hose. I like it. I like the taste; compared to the water that comes from … Continue reading Unsafe Theology
