Columnists

Nathan Aaseng


Nathan Aaseng
Pastor
St. John's Lutheran Church
Eau Claire, WI

Most Recent Column:

Agents of Hell?

Sometimes it seems as though the modern translation of John 3:17 is: "God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, because that's something the church can do so much better."

While Jesus came to save the lost, heal the sick, give hope for the poor, and bring new life to all creation, so many Christians act as though the great mission of the church is to identify, root out, shun, and condemn as many people as possible. Joyfully and in Christian love, of course. At the rate and enthusiasm with which pastors and congregations condemn people, it would make an unbiased observer suspect they are agents of hell who get a 10% commission on every soul they can toss in there.

 
Kae Evensen


Kae Evensen
Pastor
Mercy Seat Lutheran Church
Minneapolis, MN

Most Recent Column:

Mine Eyes Have Seen Thy Salvation

The new year is upon us with all its worries and woes.

Both in our nation and our world there is anxiety over fragile economies, global warming, and sectarian uprisings. As I write this, the people of Russia are taking to the streets protesting the existing leadership just as Time Magazine has named "The Protestor" as person of the year.

 
Safiyah Fosua


Safiyah Fosua
Director, Transformational Preaching Ministries
General Board of Discipleship - UMC
Nashville, Tenn.

Most Recent Column:

The Perils of Familiarity

Are we, as preachers, tempted to take shortcuts when re-preaching familiar texts?

The longer I preach, the more difficult I find it to approach a text as though I were reading it for the first time. I even wonder if it might be an occupational hazard, this becoming so comfortable with the text that we frequently overlook its hidden mysteries. It is so easy to rely upon past revelation and skip the hard work of studying, pondering, and living with the text that separates a preacher from one who merely delivers a sermon.

 
Bruce Reyes-Chow


Bruce Reyes-Chow
Presbyterian Teaching Elder, Blogger and Social Media Consultant

San Francisco, CA

Most Recent Column:

A Guide to Good Preaching

Over the past few weeks there have been some extremely interesting conversations going on in my head about the practice of preaching and what makes a "good" preacher.

Books have been written, festivals have been held and every denominational family has its canon of people who are considered great preachers.