“Everywhere I turned, I heard the same words: ‘You have to forgive.’” wrote trauma survivor and author Nancy Richards. “They came from my family, my counselors, and the religious community alike. I saw myself as a complete and utter failure. As though my self-esteem wasn’t low enough from years of
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Lent has long been framed as a season of fasting, repentance, and turning toward the Divine. Yet, in a nation gripped by state-sanctioned violence, legislative cruelty, and the erosion of basic rights, Lent cannot merely be a time of private reflection. It must also be a discipline of resistance, a
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The U.S. political climate leans heavily into the “great man” idea of leadership these days. This theory was popularized in the first half of the twentieth century and asserts that leaders are born with traits of leadership that only “great” people possess. However, this model of leadership has roots that
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All Presbyterians know that the best way to connect with your community is through a shared meal. At Rhodes College, a Presbyterian-affiliated college in Memphis, TN, the Office of the Chaplain is providing community members with the chance to share interfaith dialogue about democracy over lunch. “Food, Faith, and Free
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Right before his death in the gospel of John, Jesus offers the longest prayer we have in his words. Jesus prays for his disciples--his friends who served in his lifetime--and, I have to believe, he prays for us. Jesus’ final prayer: it holds fantastic insight into the mind of Christ.
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As a kid I had a sense that altars weren’t OK. Or at least — when we create them they belong only in approved “sacred sanctuaries” like a church or temple. I was raised Presbyterian and eventually became an ordained minister in this tradition, and as I learned more about
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The Doxology we sing has the phrase “Praise God above ye heavenly host.” I didn’t know until recently that “host,” also used in phrases like “Lord of Hosts,” means “army.” Are we meant to fight for God, or fear God’s attacks? Are we meant to think in holiness in terms
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After a months-long intentional process of planning, recruiting, and gathering congregants to listen to one another about their core values and most pressing community issues, the church invited our local council member to hear what we discovered about our congregation and community. We had come a long way. As a
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According to a 2023 YouGov poll, 12 percent of Americans have engaged in some level of ethical non-monogamy. Around 4 to 5 percent identify as polyamorous, and this is on the rise, especially among people under 45 and those who consider themselves LGBTQ+. A separate study from 2017 conducted by
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The Broadway musical Leap of Faith tells the story of Jonas Nightingale, a con man who holds fraudulent, revival-style church services around the country and capitalizes off of people's religious fervor and subsequent financial generosity. It's all a stage show – nothing more, nothing less. Actors are paid to cast
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