One of the texts which many Christians are led to through their lectionary this month contains a prophecy from Isaiah: 3 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and [...]

    If I could, I would give Memphis the gift of hope. In Man’s Search for Meaning , Victor Frankl wrote about the importance of hope. He watched the effect of hope and hopeless on the prisoners in Auschwitz and chronicled his observations. Frankl noted that the death rate in camp increased exponentially between Christmas 1944 and New Years…[Read more]

“You have the power to change someone’s life from misery to miracle.” One thing that made me thankful to live in Memphis in 2012 was the Agape Heartlight event at which Maya Angelou spoke this line.  On Aug. 25, Dr. Angelou testified at the Cannon Center in downtown Memphis about individuals who had turned her [...]

We are not just facing a crisis of resources.  We are facing a crisis of relationship. The cliff we are nearing is not just a commentary on cash.  It’s a commentary on collaboration. The question is no longer “Can we solve our budget problems?”  There are reasonable solutions available which strive to balance stewardship and [...]

Which Memphis-area house of worship do you find most beautiful, spiritual, sacred? And why? God’s presence went from theoretical to actual for me in a rustic cabin nestled among the 145 acres of Saint Columba .  Just a ten minute drive from my Bartlett home and only twenty to thirty minutes from many locations in metro-Memphis, Saint Columba [...]

By Chris Altrock Special to The Commercial Appeal On behalf of Memphis-area churches of Christ, I’d like to say the following: Disregard anyone claiming to speak for churches of Christ. Several days ago, a full-page ad appeared in The Commercial Appeal. Its author indicated that the ad was presented on behalf of “area churches of Christ.” The [...]

If you were addressing the nation on Wednesday, Nov. 7, the DAY AFTER the election, what would you say? What advice would you offer to your fellow Americans about the next four years? 1,460 days of prayer. That’s what I propose. For Christians whose candidate wins. For Christians whose candidate loses. 1,460 days of prayer. Let’s make [...]

How do you define dying well? By all accounts, my hero-in-the-faith is dying well. As I write, Joseph L. Cannon is approaching his sunset. Having planted hundreds of churches across the world, started schools, and trained thousands for ministry, Joe is finishing his race. He’s being well-cared for in a quiet and beautiful hospice full of…[Read more]

What is your favorite verse of holy scripture and why? My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? This cutting line from Jesus’ lips brings great comfort to me. So many of us, in the words of Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggemann, have been taught that negativity is “an act of unfaith.”  That is, if [...]

Memphis is the second most generous city in the country, according to a new survey by The Chronicle of Philanthropy. According to the publication: “Religion plays a major role in how much money Americans give to charity. The parts of the country that tend to be more religious are also more generous.” Why is this true? [...]

What are your views of the food-stamp program and the proposed cuts to it? The earliest civil legislation in the Bible mandated a way for food to be provided to the poor in a way that was both charitable and empowering. Agricultural leaders (“the” business and community leaders of the day) were to leave the edges of [...]

At St. Andrew AME, the Robinsons have a ministry called “The Right Start” — a new program that trains “Milk Missionaries” to guide new and expectant mothers, to help them reach their breast-feeding goals. Such public health matters are often thought of as government responsibilities. Does the faith community also have a responsibility when it comes [...]

Are you concerned about new voter ID laws? Are we doing enough to prevent fraud and other problems? How can we make voting as accessible as possible while still safeguarding the democratic process? Every voter in every election should be required to confirm his/her identity. Let’s put aside for the moment what form that confirmation takes [...]

The ethics of anonymous online commenting: Anonymous comments have almost no value and almost no place in a free society. That’s my conclusion after nearly fourteen years in an occupation which generates regular anonymous comments. As a preacher, I’ve received unsigned remarks on attendance cards, scraps of paper, letters in the mail or…[Read more]

This week the Faith in Memphis panel reflects on the movie theater massacre in Aurora, Colo. Anger. Despair. Compassion. These are some of the emotions swirling in my heart after last week’s shooting in Aurora, Colo. Though a long ways from Memphis, the shooting even touched my congregation. A seventeen-year old related to a friend of a member [...]

What accounts for our such low and declining confidence in ‘the church or organized religion’? A mechanic tried to sell me a car battery for twice what I would have paid at AutoZone. So I gave up on all mechanics. A driver nearly wrecked the school bus on which I rode as a third grader. So [...]

The Episcopal Church will now allow priests to conduct services blessing same-sex relationships. The denomination’s House of Bishops approved the policy Monday, and delegates to the national convention approved the measure on Tuesday becoming the largest U.S. religious denomination to approve such a ritual. What’s your response? Is this an…[Read more]

Noted scientist and best-selling novelist Alan Lightman, a Memphis native, asks what are the boundaries between science and religion, the two greatest forces that have shaped human civilization. What are the different kinds of knowledge in science and in religion? And how do we come by those different kinds of knowledge? Members of the Faith in [...]

According to the 2010 Census, of the 168,000 children living in Memphis, nearly 67,000 — about 4 in 10 — are living in a family with a female householder and NO FATHER PRESENT. Later this month, Memphis Mayor A C Wharton will host the Second Annual Memphis Training Camp for Dads. (Wharton is writing a [...]

Memphis City Council member Shea Flinn wants the the city to study the idea of creating an ‘adult entertainment district’ for strip clubs and other sex-oriented businesses. He wants a committee to look into a possible location as well as answer the question whether “this is the right thing to do.” Is it the right thing [...]