In over 70 years of communism in Russia and the former Soviet Union, the vast majority of church buildings in the Soviet Union, especially in Russia, were destroyed or closed. Millions of Christians were imprisoned and put to death. I first went to the Soviet Union in...
I’ve never been a latest-fashion-follower, though I confess, for a season I did wear a “leisure suit” and white suede shoes. I’m aware that many readers will have no knowledge of “leisure suits.” They were popular in the early 1970s but didn’t last long. I thought I’d...
“Something there is that doesn’t love a wall, that wants it down!” wrote poet Robert Frost. Unfortunately, that sentiment is not universally shared. The largest construction project ever undertaken by humanity was building the Great Wall of China. Enough stone was...
The painting in the inspirational photo section on my website is by my wife, Jerry; it conveys the dramatic story. When Jesus was crucified, “darkness came over the whole land…for the sun stopped shinning. And the veil of the temple was torn in two.” (Luke 23:44-45)
Memory is one of our most important capacities. It is a blessed gift. James M. Barie said, “God gave us memory so that we might have roses in December.” But it is more than recalling beauty. Memory gives us a sense of meaning. We are who we are because of memory. When...
Attention to theological education and preparation for ministry has always been a part of the Methodist/Wesleyan expression of church. I’m a Methodist by choice. For me, one of the attractions to the Methodist Church was the emphasis on an educated clergy. The...
