Note: For those who want to dive in deeply into what is happening in United Methodism in the present moment, I recommend the abundance of statements and interpretations that are… read more

The core of the teaching of Jesus Christ is the Beatitudes. At the heart of these words, which frame the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), is a reversal of the… read more

United Methodists are joined together institutionally through conferencing, polity, symbols and financial resources. And yet in our unhealthy patterns of behavior we are also… read more

I love the church. I am not naive about the church, or my own human nature, but I love the church. I loved serving as a pastor in the local church, and now I am blessed in the… read more

"So what do you think will happen at the General Conference?” I’m often asked that question. Underneath are a variety of unspoken emotions: fear, anxiety, sadness… read more

In his spiritual autobiography, A Song of Ascents, written in 1968 at the age of 83, E. Stanley Jones reflects on an insight that came to him earlier in life: "I was free; free to … read more