Becoming People of Refugia
Extreme weather, declining church influence, and environmental protests affect Christians around the world. Debra Rienstra explains why the biological concept of refugia offers a metaphor for seeing the Spirit at work despite deep disturbances in God's creation and among God's people.
Everyday Faith: Possibilities, Limits, and Callings, with special guest Tish Harrison Warren
How do worship and prayer practices form and sustain us during times of great suffering and grief? Watch this online conversation with Tish Harrison Warren, an Anglican priest and author of the new book Prayer in the Night: For Those Who Work or Watch or Weep [IVP 2021]. In this video, Warren reflects on themes of suffering and lament, vulnerability and joy, and how the Compline prayer service in the Anglican tradition provides a spiritual anchor in dark times. Warren is interviewed by Noel Snyder, program manager at CICW.
James Abbington on Planning Henry “Hank” Aaron’s Funeral Music
Although news coverage of public figures’ funerals often focuses most on speakers and eulogists, music is crucial. James Abbington thought pastorally while planning music for baseball star Henry Aaron’s homegoing.
Kate Williams on the Coronavirus and Sacred Music
When COVID-19 forced churches and schools to go virtual, GIA Publications helped church music ministers and music educators adjust. Some digital adaptations are here to stay because they help connect music ministers, worshipers, and music educators.
Angelique Havenga and Marnus Havenga on Lament, Community, and Ubuntu in the Dutch Reformed Church of Stellenbosch, South Africa
In this episode, pastor-theologians Angelique and Marnus Havenga share with Maria Cornou about what they are learning about pastoring and serving the community as a whole in the Dutch Reformed Church, located in city-center of Stellenbosch, one of the most unequal towns in the country of South Africa.
Paul Turner on Presiding Artfully at Mass
In his new book, Ars Celebrandi, Paul Turner writes that “a well-prepared and celebrated liturgy is the church’s best response to crisis.” He offers fresh principles for how a priest’s presiding style can help the faithful participate more actively in the Mass.
Faith Communities and Safe Dwelling Places
Philosopher and author Lee Hardy noticed derelict buildings near his church for decades before realizing that faith-based communities have valuable resources to address the affordable housing crisis.
Lee Hardy on Housing, Justice, and Worship
Completing a grant project on faith communities and affordable housing convinced Lee Hardy that justice and worship are internally linked. That’s why he says worship services should include housing justice, and Christians and congregations should advocate to change unjust systems.
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.
Creation’s Sabbath
Economic lockdowns and pauses during the coronavirus pandemic offer glimpses of a renewed world. Despite COVID-19’s horrific effects, Christians can choose to reframe their lives in light of the sabbath rest that God intends for all creation.
Six Earthkeeping Conversation Tips
Since Christians disagree on climate change, you may think it’s best to agree to disagree. But these six tips can help you find common ground for taking positive action. It all starts with conversation.