United is hosting our third annual Light the Fire conference on April 18-19 at Ginghamsburg UMC. This year the topic is divine healing–physical, spiritual, emotional. The speakers and workshop leaders include world class scholars, UM bishops, and internationally known church leaders. Proceeds from the conference will go to support the Ginghamsburg Sudan project. This is…

Years ago, when I was an MDiv student, I sat in Billy Abraham’s evangelism class and listened to him talk about the need for serious catechesis in the United Methodist Church. A couple of years ago, this issue came up again in a conversation that Billy and I had at a conference, and out of…

If you haven’t seen it, please check out this video of a restaurant owner who happens to have Down Syndrome. Pretty incredible. 

A lecture I gave sometime back on the Bible and church renewal…. 

I’m pleased to announce that, under the leadership of Dr. Alicia Myers and MDiv student Diana M. Davis, the Harriet Miller Women’s Center at United Theological Seminary has launched a new blog, the purpose of which is to “celebrate, encourage, and empower women leaders.” If you have a moment, take some time to visit the…

There is, among Protestants, a seemingly unavoidable urge to divide. The Reformation did not so much Reform as it did fracture the Church, and like a glass bowl breaking in slow motion we continue this process even today, five hundred years later. I’m certainly not suggesting that the protests of the Reformation were illegitimate, but…

Language is powerful. Language shapes the way in which we view the world, other people, and ourselves. Recently, Ann Coulter tweeted regarding the presidential debate and used the word “retard” with reference to President Obama. There are, of course, the problems of the sophomoric level of political discourse that this demonstrates and the total disrespect of…

I just received an advance copy of a book that Joel Green and I edited called Wesley, Wesleyans, and Reading Bible as Scripture. It is scheduled for release later this month. The idea for this book came out of a meeting of the Wesleyan Theological Society a few years ago, the theme of which was…

Just a reminder…. Don’t forget about our upcoming conference called, “Jesus, Criteria, and the Demise of Authenticity,” to be held on October 4 and 5 at South Park United Methodist Church, near the University of Dayton. This is going to be a very fine event and a great opportunity to explore some of the core…

I’ve been working my way through Luke-Acts for a research project related to the Bible and disabilities. In so doing, I’ve been struck by the extent to which Luke is concerned with bodies. Time and again, Luke stresses the physical, corporeal nature of human existence, and God’s concern for us as embodied beings. If you’d like…