In some traditions, the story of Thomas’ encounter with the Risen Christ, following upon his earlier missed opportunity, is suggested for the Sunday after Easter. You’ll notice careful construction in the previous sentence to avoid the word “doubt.” In the clear proclamation of John’s Gospel, the...
A quick survey of recent church-related emails yields one prominent word: return. “Return to in-person worship.” “Return in time for Easter.” “Return of regular programs.” “We know you are all wondering, when can we finally return after these long, hard 13 months?” What does the word “return” mean for your...
These days, whenever churches get mentioned in the company of banks, Congress, journalism, and big business, the news is probably not good. Case in point: Amanda Ripley’s recent piece in Comment Magazine on The Mystery of Trust. For decades, at least four different research organizations have been...
“No one around here trusts the other side at all.” - a U.S. Congressperson, January 2021 “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.” - Psalm 56:3 Former Secretary of State (and Secretary of Labor and Treasury at different times) George Shultz died this past...
Late last spring (mere months into the pandemic, although it already felt like a lifetime in lockdown), Lake Institute on Faith & Giving asked its extensive network of religious and philanthropic leaders to look ahead a year. What did they hope would be happening with...
Well, that didn’t take long. For all the talk of unity on January 20th (and the gifts to the new president from Republicans and Democrats alike, and Lady Gaga’s memorable national anthem, and Amanda Gorman’s gorgeous spoken word poem, The Hill We Climb), by January...
On the Sunday morning after the deadly riot at the United States Capitol, Father William Corcoran put on his black suit and clerical collar and stepped into St. Elizabeth Seton church in the Chicago suburb of Orland Hills to celebrate the 7:30 a.m. Mass. So begins...
As our nation reels from the violent assault on the women and men of Congress and the Capitol Building last week, church boards need to direct their feet. They need to walk toward conversations about shared truth and walk away from the language of false...
Colossians is a guide for every church board in every season, but perhaps in no season more than this one at the end of 2020. At the beginning of the letter, we read: In our prayers for you we always thank God, for we have heard...