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Organizations to Check Out
- Andover Newton Theological School My alma mater and a partner with the New England Pastoral Institute
- City Mission Society Great organization where I used to chair the board
- Interim Ministry Network Center for training interim ministers. I’m on their faculty.
- The Center for Progressive Renewal Organization planting new churches and helping with church vitality
- The Congregational Library Holds library and archives for all branches of Congregationalism. The director is my roommate.
- The Inner City Christian Federation Great organization where I worked as Development Assoc.
- The Massachusetts Conference, United Church of Christ Great resources for local UCC pastors
- The New England Pastoral Institute Organization where I direct their Clergy and Church Resource Center
- The United Church of Christ My denomination
Author Archives: Norman Bendroth
A Voice in the Wilderness
Luke 3: 1-6 Advent 2C 2015 All over the world, Christians are celebrating Advent, the season of preparation for the birth of Christ. And all over Christendom, the first three Sundays are occupied with readings about John the Baptist. Here … Continue reading
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Mary’s Song
Fourth Sunday of Advent Year C December 20, 2015 On April 11, 2009 a stout, frumpy woman with unruly teeth and unkempt hair walked out on the stage as a contestant for the TV show Britain’s Got Talent. She wore … Continue reading
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Call for Candles
Jeremiah 33:14-16; Luke 21:25-36 First Sunday of Advent November 29, 2015 25 “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. … Continue reading
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Thanks-Living
1 Thessalonians 5: 12-24 Norman B. Bendroth Thanksgiving Sunday 2015 12 But we appeal to you, brothers and sisters, to respect those who labor among you, and have charge of you in the Lord and admonish you; 13 esteem them very highly … Continue reading
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The Changing Religious Landscape of America
Ah, the life of the church. So many arguments, so little time. The list of subjects about which the saints disagree is seemingly boundless, encompassing both the profound and the woefully mundane. The ordination of women. The proper role of … Continue reading
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The headlines tell a story of decline and despair. But cultural trendlines paint a picture of possibility.
This was the theme of the National Church Leadership Institute that I attended this past week on the Andover Newton Theological School campus. Over three hundred activist, self-described “just and generous” Christians gathered for four days to hear inspiring speakers, … Continue reading
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Nature and Nature’s God
“The heavens are telling the glory of God,” the Psalmist asserts, “and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is … Continue reading
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The Faith of the Framers
Many who were upset by the Supreme Court decision to legalize same-sex marriage and the court order to remove the monument bearing the Ten Commandments in Alabama asserted that the “Christian” origins of the United States are being assaulted and … Continue reading
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“My God is Able”
2 Timothy 1: 1-14 Norman B. Bendroth We often think that the great saints of Christian history were never plagued with worry or anxiety. Martin Luther, that robust, bold reformer, who defied the corrupt church of his day and said, … Continue reading
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False Masculinity
These days it seems that we can never escape news about professional athletes behaving badly toward women. We saw Baltimore Ravens Ray Rice clobber his fiancée in an Atlantic City elevator early in 2014. You might also remember running back … Continue reading
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