Shows
Montague Reporter PodcastNathan Frontiero on being a stringer for the Montague ReporterIn this bonus episode, Sarah speaks with Nathan Frontiero, a writer who started contributing to the Montague Reporter earlier in 2022.
If this episode gets you interested in writing for the Reporter, you can contact Mike Jackson at editor@montaguereporter.org.
2022-10-1028 min
Union Matters!Dr. Rachel Baard's new book argues for feminist critique and retrieval of sin-talkEarly feminist theologians criticized the Christian doctrine of sin for its focus on female sexual purity and its enabling of the marginalization and oppression of women. Others have questioned whether the entire theological category of sin should be abandoned in favor of other ways of talking about the human predicament. In her new book “Sexism and Sin-Talk: Feminist Conversations on the Human Condition,” Union Presbyterian Seminary Assistant Professor of Theology and Ethics Rachel Sophia Baard argues for a feminist critique of traditional sin-talk alongside a constructive reinterpretation of the doctrine of sin — one that can be life-affirming for all persons.Baa...
2020-01-1036 min
Union Matters!Church in the Public SquareThe Public Square is the space where people of different walks of life encounter each other as they move through their daily lives. It’s not limited to the political space. It could be a shopping mall or a church. The church has a word to say about how we gather and live together in community. The Strategic Plan for Union Presbyterian Seminary states, in part, that Union “is teaching not just for church leadership but for leadership in the entire public sphere.” President Brian Blount shared his thoughts on “The Church in the Public Square” with Joe Slay.
2019-11-1332 min
Union Matters!Musical group 'The Many' coming to Union SeminaryThe Many, a musical group passionate about creating music for people to sing together about peace and justice and a world where all belong, will perform at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Virginia, October 14-15. Tinsley Jones, director of the seminary's Leadership Institute, interviewed the group via Skype from their home base in Chicago. The full 50-minute conversation is available here for those who want to learn more.Drawing on indie pop and gospel influences, The Many makes music to help give voice to faith and doubt, questions and fears, laments and longings, music that speaks to a non-violent Go...
2019-10-0724 min
Union Matters!Believer on Sunday, Atheist by ThursdayAuthor and professor emeritus Ronald P. Byars at home.Regular worshipers may be believers on Sunday but (nearly) atheists by Thursday. The general public, not making fine distinctions, lumps mainline Protestants together with fundamentalists fighting to hold on to a privileged status already lost. Circumstances favor religious skeptics, who find themselves with rising influence. Church members in mainline denominations feel caught between a rock and a hard place. Thus comes the critical question of the moment: is Christian faith of an intellectually serious and recognizably generous sort still possible? Union Presbyterian Seminary Professor Emeritus of Preaching and Worship Ronald P...
2019-09-2040 min
Union Matters!Preaching in Challenging TimesPreachers stand up to speak each week in challenging times to unsettled congregations. Each week seems to bring a new difficult subject: mass shootings and other forms of violence; hard conversations around race, ethnicity, and multi-religious contexts; immigration; poverty; climate change; foreign and domestic terrorism; and bickering about it all on social media.Rev. Dr. Richard W. Voelz, Union Presbyterian Seminary assistant professor of preaching and worship, has authored a new book for preachers hungry for ways to envision the work of preaching in these times, as well as for tools that will help them speak to difficult and...
2019-09-0434 min
Union Matters!What Does the Lord Require?What has the Lord demanded of us and how are we living in that call as a seminary? Are we responding adequately to God’s call for justice in our teaching, witness, and service as an organ of the Reign of God? Associate Professor of Bible Rodney Sadler, will explore this topic at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond during “Seminary For a Day.” He previewed his keynote address with Tinsley Jones, director of Union’s Leadership Institute, which is sponsoring the event on September 28, 2019.
2019-08-0530 min
Union Matters!Strengthening Faith Formation Among ChildrenUnion Presbyterian Seminary has been awarded a grant to develop a map to help churches find new ways to communicate the value of religious practices for children and families in a diverse and complicated world.Children, are confronting a world rife with new and terrifying realities. Active shooter drills in schools as just one of those realities. Millennial generation parents are drifting away from mainline churches and, with that exodus, losing the opportunity for the church to help them and their children develop the faith necessary to confront the new realities. And budget cuts throughout traditional Christian denominations are...
2019-07-1529 min
Union Matters!What are Biblical Values?In 2015, Yale Divinity School Professor John Collins heard a presidential election ad urging listeners to vote according to “biblical values.” In the ad, the Reverend Franklin Graham announced he would be traveling to all 50 states to hold prayer rallies and call the nation to God. Collins was so troubled by it that he launched a course that year titled “What are Biblical Values?” It's also the theme of the Sprunt Lectures he will deliver at Union Presbyterian Seminary. The easy and unfounded application of scripture to political viewpoints is as prevalent today as at any time in history. It’s not uncom...
2019-04-2631 min