MCC taps memories of Teachers Abroad Program
Forty years have passed since former Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) worker Nancy Heisey first stood in front of a classroom in Zaire, now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Forty years have passed since former Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) worker Nancy Heisey first stood in front of a classroom in Zaire, now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
I had the privilege of teaching a pastoral theology class at Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas, last week.
I had the entire senior class: 13 young, promising, enthusiastic, veterans of church wars, and yet eager to get started.
The new movie “12 Years a Slave” may depict a bygone era in American history, but religious leaders hope it might spark increased attention about present-day race relations.
Can a bad person be a good theologian?
All of us fall short of our ideals, of course. But there is a common-sense expectation that religious professionals should try to behave as they counsel others to behave. They may not be perfect, but they should not be louts or jerks.
At 82, retired and enjoying life, Bishop John Shelby Spong doesn't have to be the liberal enfant terrible whose pronouncements for gay rights and against traditional dogmas once scandalized Christendom.
Author Malcolm Gladwell may not be known for writing on religion. His New York Times best-selling books "The Tipping Point," "Outliers," "Blink" and "What the Dog Saw" deal with the unexpected twists in social science research.
Christians in the Middle East and Africa are being slaughtered, tortured, raped, kidnapped, beheaded, and forced to flee the birthplace of Christianity. One would think this horror might be consuming the pulpits and pews of American churches. Not so. The silence has been nearly deafening. Read more at
In a lengthy, wide-ranging interview with journalists from his own Jesuit order, Pope Francis makes a number of stunningly frank comments that are likely to rattle the church and to cement his reputation as a leader more concerned with a pastoral approach than a doctrinal hard line.