Religion is supposed to bind us together; don’t use it to cast others out
"What religious tie binds/blinds you to persons you don’t agree with, or you negatively, harshly judge?"
Rev. Paul Graves wrestles with the polarizing effect of religion in culture today, noting how it is better purposed to bind us together.
When the ordinary becomes art
By Rev. Paul Graves
For his regular column in the Spokesman-Review, Rev. Paul Graves will occasionally use the format of a letter to his grandchildren....
Sowing Seeds of Gratitude
The Rev. Paul Graves believes that gratitude is a gift we are born with. In his latest post, he shares a personal example of this truth and a call to nurture and care for the gift as we find it in our children and grandchildren.
How is your vision?
A recent story about a boy who lost his vision because of a lack of diversity in his diet has Patrick Scriven wondering if the same principle might be at work in our social and spiritual lives.
The Complicated Business of Celebrating the Past
By Patrick Scriven
As a child of the 80s, I've come to realize that I carry a fair amount of nostalgia for some movies and...
What is your Change Theory?
"Change is harder than we often acknowledge," cautions Patrick Scriven in this commentary. While much of the conversation in The United Methodist Church has focused of problems with its polity, Scriven wonders if we are focusing enough attention on the day to day work of opening people's hearts and minds to new ways of seeing and being.
We Make the Road by Walking Gayly Forward
"[W]e are in a battle for the soul of our denomination," writes the Rev. Zach Taylor in commentary on the PNW News Blog. Taylor shares how the church he is planting in Walla Walla responded to General Conference tumult in a way faithful to their identity.
Is the Bible True?
"Believing that we hold the “one true” understanding of faith engenders a self-righteousness that allows us to dismiss any and all who would challenge our claim of orthodoxy," writes the Rev. Kelly Dahlman-Oeth in a reflection on what it means to say that the Bible is true. "Such certainty can be as self-comforting as it is divisive."
Can you Imagine being separated from your family?
By Libby Marie Hall
Do you remember that early 70s song Imagine? Please take a moment and listen to this song from John Lennon.
This...
Commentary: The Simple Way to “Do No Harm”
In commentary written for the PNW News Blog, the Rev. Austin Adkinson expresses disappointment in the One Church Plan (OCP) which codifies provisions allowing for continued discrimination. He argues that the Simple Plan offers a better route for Methodists intent on following Wesley's admonition to "do no harm."
