Author Archives: rthenderson

About rthenderson

Sixty years a pastor-teacher within the Presbyterian Church. Author of several books, the latest of which are a trilogy on missional ecclesiology: ENCHANTED COMMUNITY: JOURNEY INTO THE MYSTERY OF THE CHURCH, then, REFOUNDING THE CHURCH FROM THE UNDERSIDE, then THE CHURCH AND THE RELENTLESS DARKNESS. Previous to this trilogy was A DOOR OF HOPE: SPIRITUAL CONFLICT IN PASTORAL MINISTRY, and SUBVERSIVE JESUS, RADICAL FAITH. I am a native of West Palm Beach, Florida, a graduate of Davidson College, then of Columbia and Westminster Theological Seminaries.

BLOG 12/1/17. WHERE YOU GO, … CHRIST GOES

BLOG 12/1/17. WHERE YOU GO, … WHAT YOU DO, … WHAT YOU SAY … A generation ago Richard Halverson was the pastor of a large congregation in suburban Washington, D.C. I was always taken with his ‘spin’ on the final … Continue reading

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BLOG 11/28/17. JIMMY CARTER: UNDER-APPRECIATED ROLE MODEL

BLOG 11/28/17. JIMMY CARTER: UNDER-APPRECIATED ROLE MODEL A few weeks ago here in Atlanta, the ambassador from Argentina bestowed, on former president Jimmy Carter, Argentina’s highest award for his role as a major international voice in opposing the brutal dictatorship … Continue reading

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BLOG 11/24/17. MISSING THE DRAMATIC CONCLUSION, ALAS!

BLOG 11/24/17. MISSING THE DRAMATIC CONCLUSION, ALAS! Yes, to be sure, it’s like missing the awesome conclusion of the great drama of human history! What’s missing? Let me bring you back to a piece of church history. Somewhere back in … Continue reading

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BLOG 11/21/17. HOW DO YOU IDENTIFY YOUR FAITH COMMITTMEN?

BLOG 11/21/17. HOW DO YOU IDENTIFY YOUR FAITH COMMITMENT? Living, as we do, in a post-Christian culture, in which all Christian/religious terminology seems to be a foreign language, we need to take a moment to think how to respond when … Continue reading

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BLOG 11/17/17. SEARCH ME, O GOD, AND KNOW MY HEART

BLOG 11/17/17. “SEARCH ME, O GOD, AND KNOW MY HEART” Do you know what? I find Senator Al Franken’s confession of his sexual molesting of a young colleague . . . to be most refreshing (his confession,mind you, not the … Continue reading

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BLOG 11/14/17. “AND THOUGH THE WRONG SEEMS OFT SO STRONG …”

BLOG 11/14/17. “AND THOUGH THE WRONG SEEMS OFT SO STRONG …” Mercy! It seems like nothing could get worse, . . . and then it does. Reading the news of moral lapses, lying, political cowardice, genocide, gun violence, shady ethics, … Continue reading

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BLOG 11/10/17. MOTHER MARY’S FAITH . . . AND MINE On a neighborhood street that I drive from time to time here in Atlanta, is the impressive campus of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Roman Catholic Church, and it regularly … Continue reading

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BLOG 11/7/17. TRUE EVANGELISM: CONTAGIOUS UNDER THE HOOD

BLOG 11/7/17. TRUE EVANGELISM: CONTAGIOUS UNDER THE HOOD I’ve had a long career teaching, and seeking to practice, faithfulness to Christ’s command to make disciples/evangelism, . . . but one of my all-time favorite models was a guy named Charles, … Continue reading

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BLOG 11/3/17. ‘GREATNESS’: IT DEPENDS ON YOUR DEFINITION

BLOG 11/3/17. GREATNESS: IT DEPENDS ON YOUR DEFINITION This present administration rode into power under the motto: Make America Great Again, … but they did it with the overwhelming support of a vast number of faux evangelicals, who claimed to … Continue reading

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BLOG 10/31/17. OF POLITICAL ELVES AND ORCS

BLOG 10/31/17. OF POLITICAL ELVES AND ORCS Those who are not aficionados of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy may find this blog a bit obscure, but hang in there and see if it makes some sense. That very … Continue reading

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