Bearings: Navigating Life-as-Ministry
May 2017

The Fearful Church and the Loss of Our Prophetic Voice

Danny Cortez (). Posted in 21stCenturyMission, 21stCenturyReligion.

In January of 2014, I revealed to the elders of New Heart Community Church that I no longer held to the traditional position on homosexuality that our church had long promoted. After initial conversations for clarity on my position, one of the elders asked, “Are you willing to keep this a secret?” To which I replied, “No.” He was afraid that my position would ultimately... Read more

Becoming Story Collectors

T. Christopher Hoklotubbe (). Posted in 21stCenturyBible, 21stCenturyCulture, 21stCenturyMinistry.

As a child, I was an avid comic book collector. Every other Saturday, after I completed my chores and received my allowance, my neighborhood friends and I would walk to the nearby comic store, which would have just received its newest shipment of X-Men and Wolverine comics. I was a partisan Marvel fanboy—a true believer whose loyalty was marked by my disdain for... Read more

What Do We Mean When We Say, “All Are Welcome”?

Lawrence Richardson (). Posted in 21stCenturyMinistry, Bearings Review 2017, ChurchChange.

I’ve driven by that church—you know, the one with the giant banner that says, “All Are Welcome.” I often ask myself, “If I walked through the doors, would I be embraced?” I’m an educated, queer, Black, Progressive, Transgender Christian. Would I, with all that I bring, be welcomed in that space?" When we claim that “all are welcome,” it comes from a genuine... Read more

Through Rose Window-Colored Glasses

The View of Church History From Here

Lisa Deam (). Posted in 21stCenturyCulture, 21stCenturyReligion.

My friend and fellow historian John Fea once said that history has no heroes. Lately I’ve been reflecting on this provocative idea with the help of a fictional woman named Hero. I encountered Hero (full name: Hero Jarvis) in a Regency-era mystery, When Falcons Fall, by C. S. Harris. Hero and her husband, Sebastian St. Cyr, have the following conversation while... Read more

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