Whither Regionalization? – By Thomas Lambrecht At the 2024 General Conference, all the components of regionalization were adopted by nearly three-fourths votes or greater. Those enactments do not take effect immediately, however. What happens next? The next step in the process is for the General Conference secretary to prepare the
Today’s Reading: Read Proverbs 6:6-23; Proverbs 7:1-3; Proverbs 8 Imagine crossing a road without looking first to see if there were any cars coming. Would that be a wise choice or not? Most definitely not wise (or safe!)! In our reading today, we are reminded the importance of making wise
The Great Dechurching Will Hurt Poor People Members of mainline denominations as a percentage of the US population have dropped to the single digits. That’s bad news for the poor and vulnerable. 3 Touchstones of Welcoming Newcomers Today What was once perceived as welcoming may no longer resonate with the
If contemporary relativism is a Lebensgefühl in which the feeling of the desire for truth and objectivity on fundamental life questions is frustrated by the feeling that such a desire is impossible or childish, then only a philosophical therapy can heal this existential state of self-doubt, can transport a person
In recent decades there have been many thoughtful attempts to look beyond liberal political theory for a more satisfactory understanding of political life, and to find resources for combatting the radical individualism, moral relativism, and hedonistic self-gratification to which liberalism’s theories of individual rights and human autonomy may all too
Every time I drive past anyone’s messy garage, Dear Sister-Out-There-Somewhere, I think of your simple story from more than a decade ago that has changed all of my prayers since. Oh how I needed your mention of your messy garage! Forgive me that I can’t remember your name, or where
Today’s Reading: Read Psalm I Kings 3:4-14; II Chronicles 1:7-12; Psalm 72 If you could ask God for anything at all, what would you ask for? A room full of ice cream? All the money in the world? It’s kind of silly to think about that, isn’t it? Solomon had
Editor’s Note: We are pleased and astonished that despite the challenges of COVID and other governmental regulations, Rising Star has been able to push forward year after year and build a school for the children of the leprosy-affected in Bihar, India. We traveled there with Becky and can tell you