Craft of Preaching

Martha, Martha, Martha.

If you grew up when I did, you got that reference. Marcia, Marcia, Marcia -- of Brady Bunch fame. The oldest sibling of three daughters. …

While on vacation in the Canadian Maritime provinces and New England this past month, I saw two visions of the future church.

One of these was bleak.

The story of the Good Samaritan is rather remarkable. It has worked its way into our culture that even the unchurched will summon its principles so as to …

Somewhere between the top shelf of Pixar masterpieces (Wall-E, The Incredibles, a few others, though of course opinions vary) and the dustbin of Pixar less-desirables …

The mission of the seventy is no mission I could ever imagine accepting. It sounds more like orders received from central command on the series “Mission …

The title to this article is a riff on the 1997 book The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. It’s the story, ultimately, …

When I started thinking about the DWP column for this week, my first response was, Sorry, Jesus. You are wrong. Sometimes we have to bury our dead and you …

When pastors and Bible study participants seek a stronger ecological hermeneutic, I often challenge them simply to read Scripture with an eye to its many …

This past week I taught the Core 1 course in Luther Seminary’s Doctor of Ministry in Biblical Preaching program. The Core 1 course is the first class …

Does anyone else get uncomfortable proclaiming things like “How Great is Our God” or “Our God is an Awesome God” or “Behold …

“Your faith has saved you.”

As one of my dear friends is fond of saying, “Put that on a t-shirt.” And, as we preachers are prone …

“Lean back. Relax. Do your mantra. And say, this is what it is and what it’s always been.”

This from a guy I trust. Why do I trust him? …

It’s been almost a year since Laudato Si’ was released, Pope Francis’s monumental encyclical on climate change. Since then, the Pope’s …

Back to reality. Perhaps that’s what many of you might be feeling right now. Easter is over. Pentecost has past. Ordinary time settles in to its rather …

Captain America: Civil War is the newest entry in Marvel’s serialized cinematic juggernaut, and it may be among the very best. Directors Anthony and …