January 30, 2012
Wanna learn how to start a fire in religious circles? Pay attention: Jefferson Bethke is an Eagle Scout.
His most recent video, “Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus”, opines
over the lack of authenticity in religious leadership, calls into
account the
dangerous compound of faith and politics, and berates the self-righteous
(Amen!). But in making a few good points, Bethke may have thrown the
baby out with the bath water.
If you’ve ever played the “Blame Game” before (who hasn’t?), then you
know how this works. Something goes wrong Someone gets blamed. This literally
takes on “biblical” proportions when you...
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FTE Congregational Fellow ('11)
Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
January 13, 2012
A few hours ago I made the long drive back to Cleveland from Louisville where I had attended and preached at the 2012 Festival of Young Preachers hosted by the Academy of Preachers. I would have thought that after three days of hearing God’s word through 30 different denominations, flowing from the mouths of over 120 preachers that my heart would be quiet and my mind still. Instead my mind is racing in a post-celebratory buzz. It seems that although my suitcase that carried my clothes is unpacked, the suitcase of my mind is just starting to reveal the extent the Festival touched my soul...
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December 19, 2011
If your church uses Godly Play or Children’s Worship and Wonder, odds
are the youngsters in your congregation have heard the story about the
Christian year. In this particular story, the storyteller has two
objects: a long golden cord and a circular puzzle full of color.
The storyteller begins by picking up the cord and stretching it out in a
horizontal line, a golden metaphor for chronos time, linear time, the
world’s time, with its beginning, middle, and end.
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Ministry Fellow ('00) & TiM Resident ('02 & '04)
Associate Pastor
St. Paul Lutheran Church
Wheaton, IL
October 18, 2011
As a Lutheran pastor (ELCA) in Wheaton, Illinois, a town often
regarded as the intellectual capitol of American evangelicalism, the
intricacies of
mainline-evangelical relationships are an ever-confounding
aspect of daily life.
So it was with great interest and a longing for clarity that I hopped on the train into Chicago a few weeks back to attend "Reasons for Hope: A
Dialogue on the Christian Future" featuring Barbara Wheeler and Richard J. Mouw. Jointly sponsored by The Christian Century and Christianity Today, the event brought together two respected leaders in theological education, each of whom I knew to be an articulate
representative of her or his respective liberal or conservative Protestant camp. I was also aware...
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FTE Congregational Fellow ('11)
Pacific School of Religion
August 23, 2011
It has been almost two weeks since I along with 9 other young
preachers participated in the FTE and The Academy of Preachers produced
preaching camp, yet I still feel the residue of this experience upon me.
We stayed up all night writing and sharing sermon ideas, I will never
forget the time dedicated to helping shape our preaching skills, from
the suggestions of peers and that of our mentors. I enjoyed all the many
times of assisting and encouraging us in the art and presentation of
preaching.
In the midst of all the tips and lessons on strengthening our preaching,
I learned a powerful lesson about the Gospel in which we preach. It
was in community with 9 other fellow preachers from various faith
traditions, socioeconomic status, race, gender, sexuality, and not to
mention theological viewpoints, yet we gathered in love without any
strife and we proclaimed the Gospel. I must admit as one who considers
himself quite liberal, I often find myself avoiding conservatives
because of our differences...
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FTE Undergraduate Fellow ('11)
Occidental College
Wesleyan Church
August 12, 2011
One of the very first lessons I learned working with churches is how
lonely a road ministry can be. Being set apart by God to serve His
people is an inspiring but scary responsibility. To meet young people
who understand that, share those sentiments and agree to join you in the
growing process has been invaluable. Dr. Dwight Moody and Wyndee
Holbrook of the Academy of Young Preachers, and the FTE staff did a
great job of creating a space where learning and development could take
place both as preachers and as the people who have been called to
preach.
Now, the shock is gone. The late nights and early mornings have passed
as we now head back to our colleges, seminaries, grad programs, jobs,
and churches. As one of the preachers D. Darnell Fennell preached, our
job is now to move “Beyond an 8 Minute Sermon”. To take such an amazing
experience and build on it. Stay friends, preaching partners, and young
people committed to serving Christ and His Church. What we have been
given is a gift from God.
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FTE Congregational Fellow ('11)
Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
August 03, 2011
This week, thanks to the unimaginable generosity of the Fund for
Theological Education, I am in Atlanta, GA, at a preaching camp hosted
by the Academy of Preachers.
I am two days into a five-day camp, and my mind has been kneaded and
sculpted so much in these short hours that I feel my brain must resemble
a beloved can of Play-dough. The kneading is a result of love and
affection, and it is with the endless possibility of my new intellectual
“toys” that I have begun to discover something I can hardly believe I
didn’t notice before.
There is no escaping tension.
Entering a group of ecumenical preachers for the second time in a few
short months, I thought for sure that I would be struck by the
boundaries that separate one Christian denomination from another...
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