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One the common complaints regarding the safety measures of quarantining and isolation to prevent the spread of Covid has been feelings of loneliness. Churches are social institutions that thrive on the interaction between congregants and those the church serve through its various mission and ministry opportunities. The desire for churches to gather is often in …

From Isolation to Community: A Renewed Vision for Christian Life Together, A Review Read More »

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Scripture Narrative and the Future of Church Read More »

Easter dancing does not just happen. You cannot go about business as usual, then wake up Easter Sunday ready to dance. For one who spends most of his life in the good Midwestern emotional middle, it requires lots of preparation for me to have the emotional and spiritual vulnerability necessary to channel this level of enthusiasm. Easter dancing is a crescendo, not an exercise in spontaneity.

But when the cross becomes the only lens through which to examine the Christian experience, we miss out on many other rich elements both scripture and tradition have to offer. By over-emphasizing one part of the story, our spiritual and scriptural imaginations become closed off to the power of the full resurrection story.

I utilize the Book of Common Prayer’s daily office to help guide my daily (well…near daily) devotional practice. It provides a structure I find comforting as it guides me through a series of prayers, petitions, and a psalm, Old Testament, New Testament, and Gospel reading each day. Baptists are well known for our love of scripture. Using a resource like the BCP gives me multiple touch points on God’s biblical narrative each day. Collectively the well-worn set of prayers and scriptures continue to shape me as I learn more about myself and my relationship to Christ and his church.

The next day the great crowd that had come for the Festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They too palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,“Hosanna!”“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”“Blessed is the king of Israel!”(John 12:12-13) A dear friend who recently passed away, …

Which King? Read More »

Your work is holy. Your vocational calling as a stylist and beautician in a salon is sacred. It is what you are good at and it matters that you do it well.

Special thanks to Myles Werntz of the Baptist Studies Center at Abiline Christian University for hosting me for this YouTube interview. To learn more about the Baptist Studies Center visit their website: https://www.acu.edu/academics/college-of-biblical-studies/departments/bible-missions-ministry/baptist-studies-center/

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-m5yqr-1045afa Rev. Dr. Ryan Burge is the Assistant Professor of Political Science as well as the Graduate Coordinator at Eastern Illinois University. He is author of The Nones: Where They Came From, Who They Are, and Where They Are Going. In the book he details a comprehensive picture of Americans who say they have no religious …

The Nones, the Church, and Baseball with Ryan Burge Read More »

Times of crisis reveal what dwells deep within our souls. The ongoing crisis of COVID-19 has shined an uncomfortable light upon our private and communal lives, putting our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual competencies on trial. When communal calamities occur, our weaknesses are exposed, and long ignored wounds surface. Black Lives Matter, #MeToo, Stop AAPI Hate, gun control, immigration, voting access, creation care, and other failings are symptoms of much deeper issues. Our collective response becomes a gauge for our social and moral health. As with all such crucibles we discover a mix-bag of fellowship and division, hope and horror, and anxieties and affirmations.

A version of this article first appeared at Word&Way November 3, 2021 The story of how Netflix replaced Blockbuster is a well-documented and prominently cited tale of warning. The documentary The Last Blockbuster can of course be streamed on Netflix. The fall of a video rental empire is the foundation narrative to the popular TV show Schitt’s Creek… …

Physical Media, Streaming, and Ministry as Metaphor Read More »