Category Archives: Ministry

Christian Egalitarianism

Posted on December 22, 2011 by Darrell Pursiful

Go read Ken Schenck for a succinct, Bible-affirming defense of gender equality in the church and the family. Share this: Digg this postRecommend on FacebookBuzz it upTweet about itSubscribe to the comments on this postTell a friend

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Prepare to Be Discouraged

Posted on December 1, 2011 by Darrell Pursiful

If you don’t want anything to upset your Christmas spirit (or your faith in humanity), please click away. A church’s decision to ban a couple from its congregation, simply because their skin color is different, has cut through the heart … Continue reading →

Posted in +Fellowship, Ethics, Ministry | 2 Comments

The Sermon that Might Have Been

Posted on November 22, 2011 by Darrell Pursiful

Touching (and heartbreaking) story from Chaplain Mike: At the very beginning of the pastor’s message, these thoughts came to me. If what I just described had been the sermon, in my view it would have faithfully represented a plain and … Continue reading →

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Random Thought

Posted on November 3, 2011 by Darrell Pursiful

Jesus’ enemies denounced him as a friend of sinners. He never denied the charge. In fact he augmented it: “I’ve come for people who are sick, not those who are healthy.” It seems to me we do a disservice to … Continue reading →

Posted in Ethics, Life as Prayer, Ministry, Theology | 2 Comments

Columbus Day Reading: The People and the Black Book

Posted on October 10, 2011 by Darrell Pursiful

Whatever else you do this Columbus Day, please read this column by Mark Buchanan. Please. “It must be hard for you,” I said to the First Nations people, “to believe that salvation has come to my house when I refuse … Continue reading →

Posted in Ethics, Life as Prayer, Ministry | Tagged | Leave a comment

A Sociology of Sunday School

Posted on September 29, 2011 by Darrell Pursiful

Bill Leonard provides a wonderful brief history of and apologia for Sunday School and its influence on Protestant American Christianity. In American Grace, Robert Putnam and David Campbell report that in one 2006 survey 36 percent of Americans claimed participation … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Ministry | 2 Comments

Thought for the Day (if not the Millennium)

Posted on September 29, 2011 by Darrell Pursiful

I want a church that includes fussy kids, old liturgy, bad sound, weird congregants  and—brace yourself—painfully amateur “special music” now and then. Why? Well, for one thing, when the Gospel story is accompanied by a fog machine and light show, … Continue reading →

Posted in Ethics, Life as Prayer, Ministry, Praying Together | Leave a comment

Two Churches Figure Out that People Need Jesus more than They Need Gimmicks

Posted on August 12, 2011 by Darrell Pursiful

I found this iMonk post refreshing—but don’t neglect to ponder Chaplain Mike’s two concerns at the end. Share this: Digg this postRecommend on FacebookBuzz it upTweet about itSubscribe to the comments on this postTell a friend

Posted in +Apostles' Teaching, Mere Catholicity, Ministry | Leave a comment

Leonard: Forgetting to Remember

Posted on June 28, 2011 by Darrell Pursiful

I deeply appreciated Bill Leonard’s testimony about his mother and her advancing Alzheimer’s Disease. Each first Sunday, when the deacons bring my mother Holy Communion and read the words of Jesus: “As often as you do this, remember me,” the … Continue reading →

Posted in +The Breaking of Bread, Ministry | Leave a comment

Macon Help

Posted on June 14, 2011 by Darrell Pursiful

A friend from church has put together a helpful website with contact information about social services and need-meeting ministries in Macon, Georgia. Check out Macon Help. Macon Help was created from the Macon Community Guide to help connect those in … Continue reading →

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