The Methodist magazine Catalyst recently published this article I wrote on preaching as daring to speak about and for God. You’ll find more along the lines of this argument in my forthcoming book Preachers Dare. Barth said that Christ is not only the content of faithful preaching, public speech about and addressed to Christ; ChristContinue reading “Preachers Dare”
Author Archives: willwillimon
Praise the Lord!
I led a Bible Study this week for the Congregation at Duke Chapel on the psalms of creation, specifically the 104th Psalm. We talked about what it means to read and pray a psalm like this during our double pandemic of COVID-19 and racism. –Will
Take Responsibility
After Michael Brown’s death in Ferguson, Missouri, my friend Dr. Willis Johnson invited me to speak at his church during their Martin Luther King Jr. commemoration. It was a great, humbling honor. I encouraged Willis to share his thoughts on antiracism, particularly addressed to white congregations like the ones I’ve served, and the result wasContinue reading “Take Responsibility”
Review of Aging
Conrade Yap posted this five-star review of my recent book Aging: Growing Old in Church. He writes, This is one of the best books on aging that I have read. Filled with wisdom and insight, it is written by one who had seen many cultural shifts. With biblical insights, we are reminded once again notContinue reading “Review of Aging”
Peculiarly Christian Talk about Race
I’m reposting a series from back when I published Who Lynched Earle? Preaching to Confront Racism in late February 2017. It turns out preaching (especially from white preachers) still needs to confront racism three years later: no surprise there. Who Lynched Willie Earle? opens with a lynching in my hometown when I was one yearContinue reading “Peculiarly Christian Talk about Race”
Quarantined Theology
I spoke recently with Jason Barnhart of The Brethren Church about many of my usual topics: Barth, the Bible, the Church, the Spirit, etc. etc. etc. You can watch here on their website.
Sanctifying Racists in Recovery
Ministry Matters ran this excerpt today from my book Who Lynched Willie Earle?: Preaching to Confront Racism (Abingdon, 2017), taking the book’s subtitle for the article’s headline. I wrote, A white male (Paul Tillich), preaching to white males, preached a famous sermon: “You are Accepted,” as if unconditional acceptance were the core of the Good News.Continue reading “Sanctifying Racists in Recovery”
Wednesday Night Bible Study
My friend Jim Somerville, the pastor of First Baptist Church, Richmond, conducts a weekly Wednesday Night Bible Study for his congregation. Jim asked me to sit in with him and look at the gospel lesson for this past week, the story of Easter evening from John 20. I hope you will enjoy our discussion ofContinue reading “Wednesday Night Bible Study”
Reading Barth Together: Session V
We had our fifth Reading Barth Together webinar yesterday. Stanley and I invited Justin Coleman and Jason Micheli to join us on the panel with the intention of talking about Barth and the local church, though we ended up talking more about what it means to be the church during the mess we’re in. YouContinue reading “Reading Barth Together: Session V”
History Repeating Itself
When I was one, a young black man Willie Earle in my home town was taken from jail and tortured to death on a highway not far from my home. Growing up in Greenville, I never heard about the lynching nor heard his name mentioned. A few years ago, I finally undertook the project thatContinue reading “History Repeating Itself”
