community – Red Letter Christians

During My First Year in Seminary

March 22, 2022

Books, Peace & Nonviolence, Practical Justice

Taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it. That takes a lot of work – and the work is letting go in order to see what is. Letting go of the expectation that the world be free of darkness. Letting go of our indignation that the darkness exists. The darkness is there; we have to live in it, deal with it, and see the light in the midst of darkness.

An Open Letter to His Holiness Kirill from US Christian Leaders

RLC Editor

March 14, 2022

Church Life, Global, Immigration & Refugees, Peace & Nonviolence

“In this moment, as the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, you have the holy opportunity to play an historic role in helping to bring a cessation of senseless violence and a restoration of peace,” the US Christian leaders wrote in their letter. “We pray you will do so, and our prayers will accompany you.”

Radical Forgiveness and Ableism in the Church

Liz Daye

February 25, 2022

Church Life, Family and Parenting, Practical Justice

While the disability experience is not a monolith, by & large caregivers and disabled people are familiar with the feeling of being excluded from environments that seemingly welcome their presence but not their belonging. And I have to wonder if our churches are not fully FOR the least among them first, then who are they really for?

The Best Defense…

Rosalind Hughes

February 23, 2022

Gun Violence, Peace & Nonviolence, Practical Justice, Race, Theology

What if we were to attack instead of retreat? What if, in place of despair or even a secure defense, we were to perpetrate an all-out offensive on the things that threaten to divide us: antisemitism, racism, domestic (what a word) violence, the prevalence, and ease of acquisition of guns, America’s preferred instrument of destruction?

Single and Ready to…Rethink Church, Family, and What It Means to Belong

Sarah Urlacher

November 9, 2021

Church Life, Family and Parenting, General

It can be less lonely simply not going to church than going and trying to be a part of something that largely was not designed for you.

Transcending Boundaries as People of Faith

Morf Morford

October 27, 2021

Global, Politics, Practical Justice

God’s love, if we believe it, is unlimited and crosses every human-made boundary.

Drawing My Own Map in a Post-Evangelical World

Rachel Ophoff

October 15, 2021

Church Life, General, Politics

For someone who thrives on order and stability, drawing my own map is more than navigating uncharted territory. It’s calling me to trust myself, trust God, and believe that the journey towards my own healing is worth the effort.

Dazzling and Cruel Transitions Out of Homelessness

Sparrow Etter Carlson

October 5, 2021

General, Practical Justice

There is an aspect of health and wholeness that cannot be defined by Maslow or medicine or psychology during transitions like this.

Tired of Looking for the Exit

Jonathan D'Elia

May 11, 2021

Church Life, LGBTQ+, Theology

There are kids, teens, and adults at your church that are LGBTQ+. They’re wondering if there’s a place for them. And more will be coming. Or maybe they won’t. Not because they aren’t seeking Christ, community, and Biblical truth, but because they’re tired of being rejected. They're tired of looking for the exit.

Welcome to Wilderness Church: Where Stubborn Faith Makes Resurrection Possible

Robyn Dyba

April 7, 2021

Church Life, General, Theology

It is a mass exodus of individuals. And it is a lonely exodus. Not only have I lost the community I once had, I found myself without a community to enter.