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Jon Fry, Champaign-Urbana, IL Warm-up Questions How do you pass the time while traveling? What are your favorite traveling games/activities with friends or family? Weird Internet Outage A few weeks ago my newsfeed was blowing up with articles from medical professionals suggesting that abstaining from in-flight entertainment, food, drink, and sleep, on long flights was a bad decision. This was in response to folks on TikTok posting their record setting performances on multi-hour flights and boasting about their mental stamina. Numerous doctors, self-help professionals, and meditation specialists began chiming in with their two cents on the trend. Most experts agree that…

for we walk by faith, not by sight . . .[1] It is certain that man must utterly despair of his own ability before he is prepared to receive the grace of Christ. That person does not deserve to be called a theologian who looks upon the »invisible« things of God as though they were clearly »perceptible in those things which have actually happened« (Rom. 1:20; cf. 1 Cor 1:21-25), he deserves to be called a theologian, however, who comprehends the visible and manifest things of God seen through suffering and the cross. A theology of glory calls evil good and good…

“For what shall we pray?” is a weekly post inviting individuals, groups, and congregations to lift up our world in prayer. This resource is prepared by a variety of leaders in the ELCA and includes prayer prompts, upcoming events and observances, and prayer suggestions from existing denominational worship materials. You are encouraged to use these resources as a starting point, and to adapt and add other concerns from your local context. More information about this resource can be found here.   Prayer prompts: For those competing and assisting with the Paralympic Games…. For the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza…

This blog post is written by Dr. Benjamin M. Stewart. Stewart is Distinguished Affiliate Professor of Worship at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago and pastor to Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Two Harbors, Minnesota. A view of Assisi the day before the Feast of Creation Ecumenical Seminar began in March 2024   With growing mainstream awareness of environmental crises, several experiments with a liturgical “Season of Creation” have emerged. Now, a significant ecumenical movement is championing the inauguration of a liturgical “Feast of Creation” to be shared across Eastern and Western branches of Christianity. The possibility of the new…

To be genuinely Christ conditioned is to be a true Christian theologian. To be a speculative theologian, that is a purely metaphysical theologian, is to go beyond the Word of God, which runs contrary to the Protestant ‘Scripture Principle,’ and a radical commitment to a Theology of the Word of God. To find a genuine Christian theologian of import in the history of interpretation is not always an easy task. There are many who claim the name of Christ—and I am not doubting their salvation in any way—but then fill up their respective theologies with straw that has been cultivated…

“For what shall we pray?” is a weekly post inviting individuals, groups, and congregations to lift up our world in prayer. This resource is prepared by a variety of leaders in the ELCA and includes prayer prompts, upcoming events and observances, and prayer suggestions from existing denominational worship materials. You are encouraged to use these resources as a starting point, and to adapt and add other concerns from your local context. Prayer prompts: For those experiencing difficult transitions and in need of discernment… For those experiencing warfare and escalating violence, especially in Gaza, Russia, and Ukraine… For those affected by…

In honor of International Day for People of African Descent, which is observed internationally on August 31 each year, ELCA Racial Justice Ministries invited ELCA Director for Innovation and Ideas to share some thoughts about being a person of African descent. For more information on International Day for People of African Descent, visit International Day for People of African Descent – EN | United Nations. Names carry immense significance. They are a marker of identity, heritage and personal history. Because I am of African descent, my name is a reflection of and connection to my ancestral roots and cultural identity….

I remember when I was in Bible College, studying apologetics vis-à-vis worldview class, an axiom of sorts was presented to us in regard to a God-world relation: 1) God is prior to us ontologically, 2) humanity is prior to God epistemologically. Does the reader spy a problem with this arrangement; maybe an inherent dualism wherein there is seemingly both an abstract God from humanity, and an abstract humanity from God? When I first heard this axiom it intrigued me, but didn’t sit all that easy with me either. It took me awhile, like years, including going through seminary, and then…

Some congregations use bulletin blurbs, some post a “Prepared to Vote Checklist” in the window from ELCA.org/civicengagement resources, some help neighbors check their voter registration status during church activities or at shelters they work with – among many creative approaches that fit their setting. Our civic engagement as people of faith can help ensure that everyone benefits from the good of government. Resources and ideas for this important non-partisan service by faith communities an election year are reprinted here by permission from the “Faith in Elections Playbook” of Interfaith America.   Trustworthy information Faith leaders and religious organizations have a…

Jacqui Buschor, Little Rock, AR Warm-up Questions Do you like games where people compete against each other like Monopoly, or games where everyone works together toward a common goal, like escape rooms? Why do you think that is your preference? Whose Side Are You On, Anyway?  Even if you’re not old enough to vote, I’m sure you’ve heard people talking about “the growing political divide in America.” Maybe you’ve seen evidence of it yourself on the news, in your church, or even in your own family. It seems like everywhere we turn we can find more and more evidence that…