Anabaptist and Quaker essays, sermons, and other writings
This past week, I was party to a conversation with a relative that turned to the Black Lives Matter protests. This relative, an older person, commented, “I don’t understand where all this is coming from.” Brothers and sisters, let me tell you, I was flabbergasted. For so many reasons. Having […]
Having spent years ministering with Quakers and Brethren, it should come as no surprise that I have often referred to myself as a pacifist. There was even a season when I would have preferred the term non-resistor. I used to pride myself on my peace-loving zeal. I ate up respectability […]
The following is an interview with Audrey and Tim Hollenberg-Duffey, co-pastors of Oakton Church of the Brethren in Virginia. We reached out to them based on requests from our readers. If you have others you would like to see featured in Brethren Life & Thought, please message us or our […]
4 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give […]
Earlier this year, my Campus Ministry colleague and I decided that our Lent practice would be canceling things. Our schedules were so packed with programs, events, and meetings that there was little time for connecting with individual students and our own spiritual reflection. It felt freeing each day to remove […]
A Reaction to the Article: “Desegregating the Body of Christ: West Charleston Church of the Brethren and the Urgency of Multicultural Ministry” by Caleb Kragt in the Fall/Winter 2018-2019 Issue As I read this article, I have a sense of hope for the ministry, of which I became a part […]
What do I mean by “that old-time religion?” I mean dethroning self so that God can be God. The self is not competent to rule creation or any part of it. God is. In the Gospel of John, Jesus says He came not to do His own will, “but the […]
I want you to think back to a time when you felt really, really loved. Maybe a good friend, a brother or sister, a family member, or your spouse, child, or parent, did something unexpected that made you feel truly known, truly loved and cared for. Maybe on your birthday […]
Luke 14: 1, 7-14 (dressed shabbily and barefoot coming from the back of the sanctuary during monologue) I’m on my way to a banquet. I think it’s at the end of this street. I’ve never been to a banquet before—I hear there’s lots of food. I can’t imagine. My friend […]
The four Gospels tell us relatively little about what Jesus did and said between His resurrection and His ascension, and I think that’s a good thing, because it focuses our attention on each item of information we are given, making us study them like detectives if we’re serious followers […]