Exile, Hope and Empire
Leadership Scholars

Exile, Hope and Empire

By Luke Perrin This week, I’m picking up my preorder of the newest video game in the Lego Star Wars series. For the child who fell in love with movies when he first saw Attack of the Clones, who begged his parents to take him to the PG-13-rated Revenge of the Sith at age eight, … Continue reading

Climate Justice is Biblical
creation care / Leadership Scholars

Climate Justice is Biblical

By Joshua Stewart Over the past several years, as our world has witnessed far too many instances of people being abused by others, the verse in Scripture that has resonated with me is Genesis 1:27. “So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created … Continue reading

Time That Does Not Stand Still
Leadership Scholars

Time That Does Not Stand Still

By Maggie Parker Time. Seconds. Minutes. Hours. Days. Months. Years. Time is something that seems to never quite stop, although in the moment, it may seem like one second could take up infinity. Yet looking back on that second, we wonder, “where did time go?.” We wish for time to slow down. We wish for … Continue reading

Divine Love
Leadership Scholars

Divine Love

Divine Love  By Kamilah A. Jones I do not believe in coincidences. As I move forward on my faith journey, this has become divinely clear because some things miraculously align and remarkably connect. Some things can’t be happenstance because of what I’ve personally witnessed being such a well-crafted, astute illustration that masterfully comes together that … Continue reading

“Lost in Translation”
Leadership Scholars

“Lost in Translation”

By Amelia Britt As a student in Divinity school, I spend a lot of time working with older texts written centuries ago in different languages. For Christians, we read from a text compiled, passed down, and edited over thousands of years. And our history of interpreting these texts continues to this day! One of my … Continue reading

Redefining Spirituality: A Spirituality Out of South Africa
Leadership Scholars

Redefining Spirituality: A Spirituality Out of South Africa

By Lauren Jenkins How do you define spirituality? In May 2019 I received the opportunity to study abroad in Cape Town, South Africa. We would receive class credit as well as work with children in the area. Prior to this trip I had lost my grandfather as well as ended my first serious, and manipulative, … Continue reading

SBNR: A Crisis or Spiritual Revolution?
General CBF / Leadership Scholars

SBNR: A Crisis or Spiritual Revolution?

By Leigh Reynolds  Recently, while preparing a research paper on the rise of those claiming the designation spiritual but not religious (SBNR) and its impact on the Christian church in North America, I discovered the work of Linda Mercadante. Mercadante, an ordained Minister, Professor of Historical Theology at Methodist Theological School in Ohio, and leading … Continue reading

Trim Your Lamps
General CBF / Leadership Scholars

Trim Your Lamps

By Christie Thadikonda Jesus Christ is often referred to as ‘The Bridegroom’. This analogy can be understood clearly if one followed the ancient Jewish wedding cultural traditions. Marriage was an agreement between two families rather than between two individuals. The marriage consisted of two separate ceremonies a betrothal and a wedding, which were celebrated at … Continue reading

At the Table
Leadership Scholars

At the Table

By Maggie Kennedy In 2021 I moved to a new city to begin my divinity school education. As I was shopping to furnish my first apartment, I wanted to get my kitchen table just right. Something big enough that I could have people over but small enough not to crowd the shoe box I am … Continue reading

Try to Have a Point and Make it Clear
Leadership Scholars

Try to Have a Point and Make it Clear

By William Scruggs This title comes from a song—“Relatively Easy,” which is the last song on Jason Isbell’s album Southeastern. And these words come at the end of a verse about a brother on a “church kick.” Whoever tells us about it regards such seeking after salvation as akin to being “dope sick,” judging it … Continue reading