One of my favorite Church activities, is leading Adult Bible Study. Helping a group of inquiring minds work through the hermeneutics of a piece of scripture. This is taking apart of scripture historical context, analyzing the authors and the communities intent in writing a piece.
...And this evening, as I laughed at really bad jokes with friends outside the restaurant, a man walked up and sat down next to me. "I find your articles hard to read, I will put you in a box". ...
Tomorrow is Fathers Day. I, just like I'm sure many of you reading this, am blessed with an amazing father and daddy. However, today's column was inspired by someone who didn't...
Last week my column focused on the myths and stories that we share in our communities of faith. The article centered around my frustration around that the stories communities hold on to the tightest are often ones that separate people's beliefs rather than unite them. This week I want to talk about....
I received my undergraduate education at Concordia College, a conservative private school in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Concordia was perfect for me because of the patient professors which took my opinionated scrutiny and challenged me to back up every liberal thought I thought I had in my head....
Last Saturday's Religion in the City column was written around my impressions around defeatist media and faith community messages. And last Sunday I had the honor of having veteran columnist and reporter Billy Townsend explore my thoughts and column on the subject....
What has happened to NPR? There used to be nothing like listening to Prairie Home Companion, Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me and This American Life on long car rides or while cleaning my room on a Saturday morning. Yet, as of late, all I hear when I turn on NPR, all I see when I turn on the TV news or open up a newspaper is depressing, defeatist messages.
Ms J recently spoke up in a homeless prayer support group I was running, "Don't tell me you're a Christian, show me you're a Christian!" Explaining to the group how many counselors, organizations and churches tell her how Christian they are but then treat her like a problem to be fixed, a number, or an issue to be eradicated. Everyone in the group had stories about churches where they had been invited to be fed or given clothing. Churches where those same people would not sit with them during service or talk after church.
Wu-wei is the art of seeing one's self as being connected with the flow of others. The act of being in the moment they are in. Read this week's Religion in the City column to see where that fits in with friendship...
I still hear my dad’s voice saying to me, “everything has a proper place!” He usually said this as he watched me attempting to stick the clutter of my room under my bed! Now, 30 some years later, I am still dealing with structure, organization and the proper times and places for the things that I feel I must do. There has always been this tension between the things I feel I have to do and the things I want to do. Sometimes, I wonder, where is God in the midst of the tension?
This weekend I am attending a violin performance by Arianna Kim and Robert Waters at Wesley Methodist Church on Massachusetts in Lakeland. Besides being an inner city church, the small congregation of Wesley has an amazing afterschool tutoring and athletic ministry to the Parker Street neighborhood. Because of tough economic times, Wesley has [...]
I can still remember the first time I tried to walk all the way around Lake Hollingsworth. All I could keep my eyes on was the other side of the lake and how far it was from where I was. What I found I had to do was break the walk into smaller increments of distance as the whole lake just seemed so daunting. As with any major journey, seeing the short steps and building a routine eventually gave me the results I wanted....
Noted theological author and radio host C.S. Lewis used to begin all his lectures and interviews with the opening statement “I speak with no authority!” Then he would spend the rest of his time telling you exactly what he believed and why he was right. Chris Craig's new column, Religion in the City, is in the Lewis vein as Craig shares the thoughts, ideas and observations of one man’s spiritual journey through life.
Bio: Chris Craig received his Master’s in Social Work from Tulane University and his Master’s in Pastoral Care & Counseling from Garrett Seminary. Chris guest preaches, leads spirituality classes, and works in social services in Lakeland. Chris is not ordained in any church, and his columns do not speak for any churches or organizations where he might be affiliated.