Category Archives: theology

Communion rant

Posted on June 12, 2007 by igalindo

I attended worship recently at an out-of-town congregation during a consultation trip. As it happened it was a communion Sunday. I’m always interested in observing how congregations perform the two Ordinances–Communion (Lord’s Supper) and baptism. Especially in congregations of the … Continue reading →

Posted in theology, worship | 11 Comments

John Calvin’s student prayer

Posted on June 6, 2007 by igalindo

I just returned from a professional development colloquy with theological faculty from various schools. During one of our worship sessions a colleague shared John Calvin’s “Sudent Prayer” as part of the worship. It’s been a while since I’d read it … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Christian Education, theology, worship | 1 Comment

Clergy formation

Posted on June 4, 2007 by igalindo

I had an interesting conversation around the dinner table with some seminary professors recently. The on-going topic of assessment related to “ministerial formation” came up, as it often does. Given that this is now an ATS (Association of Theological Schools) … Continue reading →

Posted in ecumenical, leadership, theology | 4 Comments

Putting the emPHAsis on the wrong sylLAble

Posted on May 7, 2007 by igalindo

I had a conversation a few weeks ago with a couple of church leaders who wanted to “mobilize” their church members into ministry. They wanted to turn around the situation in their church (common to many congregations) where 20% of … Continue reading →

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On metaphors, analogies, and rigid thinking

Posted on April 20, 2007 by igalindo

Three recent conversations reminded me of the importance of moving away from ways of thinking that lead us toward “naïve understanding” and of the necessity of working toward a more critical way of thinking about matters of importance. In one … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Education, teaching, theology | 1 Comment

Shameless self-promotion

Posted on April 18, 2007 by igalindo

An article by Israel Galindo appears in the current issue of Congregations magazine from Alban Institute. The article is titled “What’s Systems Theory Got to Do with It?: Addressing Congregations’ Emotional Processs in Our Preaching.” In it, Galindo says, “The … Continue reading →

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And so it goes . . .

Posted on March 4, 2007 by igalindo

This item from the March 2007 issue of

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Hutchings vs. Warren

Posted on February 24, 2007 by igalindo

A friend, following up on a conversation about the currently popular �purpose-driven� phenomenon, wrote: �Noah Hutchings, of the “Watchmen On The Wall” fame, has stated that he sees five fundamentals of the faith that Dr. Warren objects to, namely, 1. … Continue reading →

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More about faith and certitude

Posted on February 11, 2007 by igalindo

A church member continues to wrestle with the issues raised by that phrase I use, “the opposite of faith is not doubt; it is certitude.” I appreciate his working on clarifying his thoughts on this, since I find that most … Continue reading →

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