The argument of this issue, in short, is this: All though we might think of ecumenical as something separate and formal, we actually live it all the time. Perhaps it’s time our thinking caught up to our usual practice. The French playwright Moliere may in fact have best captured this
MoreThe ‘Mr. Rogers Initiative’ and Other Mission Visions
A Closing Editorial What would an initiative look like that helped children become loving persons AND helped congregations gain a sense of themselves as mission centers—not just hospitals or even schools, but places of outreach and engagement? What about an education initiative to help fund more childcare, nursery, afterschool, and
MoreA Closing Editorial Is the rise of polarized politics due—at least partly—to the decline of mainline Protestantism? And why do mainline Protestants see education as such an ethical value? This is an editorial reflection on a very rich issue and a look ahead to another but very different education-related Unbound
MorePrayers for for Jerusalem, Gaza, Israel, the Greater Middle East…Iran….Pakistan… Cuba…North Korea…Nigeria…and our trouble spots in the US. This is not an article exactly, but nor is it a digital Christmas card. Let’s call it a Christmas letter. We do wish all our readers a Merry Christmas (or a Happy
MoreWhy Apocalyptic Language? When Prophetic Isn’t Enough. In a recent article entitled “How Climate Change Will Kill Us in the Dumbest Way Possible,” Buzzfeed commentator Akira Watts argues that the collapse of our society will be fairly prosaic due to infrastructure failure. Without functioning major roads and transmission lines, things
MoreThe Scottish YES to Britain & John Knox’s 500th Birthday
Where does the Reformation impulse go today? Back in June, at the unexpected urging of two Korean-American presbyteries, the 2014 General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) voted to celebrate the 500th Anniversary of John Knox’s birth by remembering aspects of the life of Scotland’s Reformation leader. The Committee dealing
MoreCalled to Live in Intentional Communities? Samuel was sleeping in the shrine away from home, being taught by the old priest Eli, when God called him. Samuel is the one who heard God’s voice calling him in the night. Not Eli’s kids. The time described at the beginning of the
MoreAnd If So, What Difference Does It Make? Healthcare is a very good thing for governments to provide, whether or not it is a human right, because it is certainly a basic human good and is necessary for human flourishing. The social provision of healthcare can be considered part of
MoreFrom Mandela to Barghouti: Nonviolent Lessons for Democracy and Divestment
Background for MRTI’s recommendations from Tilton, Boesak, Zunes, and Wall Reflecting back on the past year, it can be easy to become discouraged, for 2013 has been a year of great violence and bloodshed. 2013 brought us tragedies from the Boston marathon bombings to the Bangladesh factory collapse, from the escalating
MorePlumblining the Church: An Editor’s Closing Remarks
These comments from General Editor Chris Iosso come in response to a closing editorial by Managing Editor Ginna Bairby and serve as our final article in our series on the Future of Social Witness. Ginna’s response is an excellent summary of key themes, and she has very much guided Unbound
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