Bearing Witness at the Border

People of Faith Welcoming Strangers to a Hostile America

Posted in 21stCenturyCulture, From the Editor, Immigration.

Coming back from what seems to be an increasingly shorter summer hiatus, we often incline to focus Bearings on somewhat more congenial concerns by way of ramping into a publication season that we know will face its share of challenges. But this time around, living in the world we all inhabit together, that didn't seem to the responsible way to go. That doesn't... Read more

The Science of Religion

How the Scientific Imagination can Illuminate Religious Experience and Ministry

Posted in From the Editor.

Some years ago I gave a talk at a now-defunct seminary in which I argued, surely less eloquently than I might have liked, that a critical postmodern challenge for people in ministry was developing scientific literacy and fluency. I took as my starting point Albert Einstein’s argument in Ideas and Opinions (1934) that “the main source of the present-day conflicts... Read more

Giving Up, Giving In, Giving Hope

Rethinking How We Do Lent

Posted in 21stCenturyMinistry, From the Editor.

As we begin the Lenten season in our various ways across the church, Bearings contributors have been mulling what the traditions of the seasons mean in these times—especially the practice of giving up something of significance to experience a wee bit, or at least express, an understanding of the sacrifice to which the season orients us. But like so many things... Read more

What is the Heart of Ministry?

Ministering to the Beat of "Truth Love" in Today's Church

Posted in From the Editor.

It's easy to make February about a certain kind of love—the sweet, sentimental, Valentines' Day kind, all wrapped in pretty paper and offered up with chocolates and and a saccharine greeting cards with lacy hearts and ribbons. Maybe there's a place for that. I'm as much of a fan of a bouquet of freshly cut flowers as the next person, I guess. But of course,... Read more

It’s a New Year Again in America

Truth-Telling as Christian Superpower

Posted in Commentary, Ritual Reboot.

Some Bearings readers will remember (or may have read about) the 1984 Ronald Reagan campaign commercial to which my title refers, “Stronger, Better, Prouder,” or more popularly, “Morning in America.” The ad used images rendered in pastel hues and sweeping orchestral tones in emotionally evocative major chords to create a nostalgic, optimistic dreamscape of an... Read more

Oh God of Mercy, Oh Wild God

Dancing from Grief to Possibility

Posted in Creative Insights.

The poet Gerald Stern (b. 1925) had much in common with the 11 members of Tree of Life Synagogue who were murdered on October 27. He was raised by immigrant parents in a Jewish household not far from the synagogue, in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill neighborhood. And, like most of those who died, his life was shaped in complex ways by the experience of living through... Read more

Calling Across the Bow

The Way Onward for Bearings: Navigating Life-as-Ministry

Posted in 21stCenturyMinistry, AboutBearings, Art and Creativity, Commentary, Wilderness.

When I started this piece some weeks ago, the world was a different place. I had taken a jauntier tone than feels possible now. After all, here we are announcing not only the fifth year of publishing Bearings—a milestone for any publication, big or small—but also celebrating the launch of a redesigned site for the magazine, a new publication schedule, and a new... Read more

Learning From Hearts Broken Open

Lessons from 25 Years of Ministry on the Growing Edge

Posted in 21stCenturyCulture, 21stCenturyMinistry, 21stCenturyMission, 21stCenturyReligion, 21stCenturySpirituality, Lessons Learned.

My nephew was a bright, ascending star. His academic acumen was extraordinary. His athletic ability was astounding. Musically, he was captivating with a repertoire and skill that could have landed him just about anywhere. And on July 14, 2018, he took his own life. Journalist Roxanne Roberts was right when she wrote of her father’s death more than 30 years... Read more

Jesus is the tweet. You are the hashtag.

Reflecting on Life in the Digitally-Integrated Church

Posted in 21stCenturyCulture, 21stCenturyMinistry, DigitalMinistry, Re-mediating Religion.

Editors Note: Each month, Bearings contributors offer insights on a key theme in the practice of life-as-ministry. As the final installment in the issue, The BTS Center’s scholar-in-residence Pamela Shellberg, PhD reflects on the articles in the issue and poses questions for further reflection by Bearings readers and the communities in which life-as-ministry plays... Read more

Tag: Elizabeth Drescher