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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
Category Archives: Blogs
Our Faith, Our Vote
Emma Roller wrote recently in the NY Times that “The strongest bias in American politics is not a liberal bias or a conservative bias; it is a confirmation bias, or the urge to believe only things that confirm what you … 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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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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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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A Prayer for the Human Family
A prayer offered on Father’s Day at the First Congregational Church (UCC) in Milton, MA, by a bi-racial couple Scott and Meg Matthews Dear God, On this special family day on which we celebrate the fathers in our lives, we … Continue reading
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Healthy Churches
I read an article this week about how churches are having “all or nothing” conflicts. Church consultant David Brubaker observes the sharp divisions and polarities that exist in society over politics, social issues, and idealogy have seeped into our churches. … Continue reading
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The Origins of Mothers’ Day and the Call for Peace
While Mother’s Day is not on the Christian calendar, it does have Christian roots, but not the sentimental ones you might think. Julia Ward Howe spawned the idea of an official Mother’s Day in the United States in 1872. An … Continue reading
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A Little Child Shall Lead Them
This Sunday is Children’s Sunday at church when we hear about what they have learned in Sunday school and make them feel special. Indeed, they are adorable with their patent leather shoes, swishy dresses, and clip on bow ties. But … Continue reading
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Signs of Resurrection: “To End the Anguish, Drop the Death Penalty”
Like me, you may have read the letter to the Boston Globe by Bill and Denise Richard’s, the parents who lost their little boy Martin to the Boston Marathon bombing two years ago. They appealed to the prosecution team of … Continue reading
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