2018 JJ Thiessen Lecture #1 - Prayers of the People and a Cruciform Pastoral Imagination
Violence, Injustice, Trauma, and the Ordinary Practices of Christian Worship in a Social Media Age, a 3-part lecture series with Dr. John Witvliet
2018 JJ Thiessen Lecture #3 - Discipling Emotion, Singing at the Table, and Mutual Accountability
Violence, Injustice, Trauma, and the Ordinary Practices of Christian Worship in a Social Media Age, a 3-part lecture series with Dr. John Witvliet
2018 JJ Thiessen Lecture #2 - Praise Beyond Cliché and Other Practices of Transfigured Cruciform Engagement
Violence, Injustice, Trauma, and the Ordinary Practices of Christian Worship in a Social Media Age, a 3-part lecture series with Dr. John Witvliet
J. Todd Billings on Embracing Our Mortality
Unless we are very ill or old, many of us avoid thinking about our deaths. J. Todd Billings’s new book, The End of the Christian Life, explains that remembering our mortality and learning to die well will give us a more profound view of true Christian resurrection hope.
Victoria White on Inclusion in Circles of Congregations
All Belong will keep helping congregations become welcoming communities for people of all abilities, especially through its innovative Circle of Congregations for Teaching and Learning program.
Deanna A. Thompson on the Virtual Body of Christ in a Suffering World
In this episode, Deanna Thompson of St. Olaf College talks about her 2016 book "The Virtual Body of Christ in a Suffering World," which was written from her experience of living with cancer and now takes on additional meaning in our COVID-shaped world.
Kimberly Hope Belcher on Christian Unity and Communion
Ephesians 4 calls Christians to “one Lord, one faith, one baptism” unity. Yet many Christian traditions don’t allow full communion with other denominations. Kimberly Hope Belcher’s new book Eucharist and Receptive Ecumenism: From Thanksgiving to Communion, offers steps toward greater unity.
Creative Scripture Reading for Virtual Worship
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many churches still gather through virtual worship. Finding creative ways to read the Bible for online worship services can help worshipers experience what Romans 15:4 promises: “The Scriptures give us strength to go on.”
Worship Resources for Pregnancy Loss and Infertility
Many church members stay silent about miscarriages and other common reproductive losses. Yet Christian traditions contain many helpful books and worship resources to aid those who have experienced reproductive loss. Your church can start with these resources to engage this issue more directly and care for those who mourn.
Church Responses to Infertility, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy Loss
After decades of silence, church leaders and congregations have begun accompanying people who mourn losing children before or soon after birth or letting go of dreams to form a family.
A Prayer for the Grieving
A prayer during COVID-19 written by Cornelius Plantinga, Jr.
Stacey Edwards-Dunn on African American Infertility and the Church’s Response
People experiencing infertility often suffer in silence. African Americans experience more infertility than other racial groups. But churches can offer healing when they open the door for conversations and include these sorrows in worship.