Though it’s been over 20 years, I remember with clarity a college professor’s powerful illustration about the nature of Christian ministry. This professor, also a long-time minister and volunteer hospital chaplain, had been called upon to be a pastoral presence in two contrasting yet related situations: first, as a new mother promptly parted with her [...]
I don’t know about you, but I have evangelical friends with all kinds of different views on gender. Come to think of it, I have evangelical friends with all kinds of different views on a whole host of topics: child baptism or believers baptism, just war or pacifism, Arminianism or Calvinism, and, yes, even egalitarianism [...]
CBE’s Northern Colorado chapter recently shared this blog post at their chapter meeting: http://seeprestonblog.com/2013/02/when-we-need-women-behind-the-pulpits/ “Shall we say to this one, keep silent and to this one, speak, when it is God who opens mouths and God who stirs hearts and God who gives winged words to those things we know not even to pray?” What do you [...]
When I was a child, I wanted to be just like my dad. He was a preacher, and I loved watching him preach. Hearing his voice fill the sanctuary, hearing the people cry “Amen!” as the Spirit moved. Something about it all thrilled me. I couldn’t name this desire, I just knew that I wanted [...]
Throughout much of my childhood, I possessed my home congregation’s three unofficial requirements to serve communion: a sport coat and tie, a family that arrived on time, and a Y chromosome. Therefore my brother (who not surprisingly met the same criteria) and I served communion almost every Sunday morning and evening from seventh grade well [...]
From the very beginning of our ministry life together my wife (Liz) and I have had an egalitarian approach to both marriage and ministry. Way back then we were unaware of the extensive body of literature available that supports such a stance and so it was more of a preferred and personal way of doing [...]
I wasn’t trying to make a statement on gender or gender roles in the church. Wasn’t, wasn’t wasn’t. I just misheard the worship leader’s instructions. In the middle of corporate worship recently, a tune came along in which one group led and another followed. You know, one of those echo deals. About halfway through the [...]
