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Category: Theological Reflection

On Symbols, Taking Down the Decorations, and Church Planting as a Way to Say What We Mean

Posted on January 19, 2017January 29, 2021 by ptsblog
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When I was a kid, probably seven or eight, somewhere around Christmas time my family volunteered with a program that offered winter housing in our church for people experiencing homelessness. I remember helping to pour the cereal for breakfast, chatting with some of the people, and experiencing a somewhat confusing set of instructions about both…

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The Artist and Gardener, Or, How to (Not) Take Back Our Nation

Posted on November 11, 2016January 29, 2021 by ptsblog
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Like many of you, I stayed up late on election night watching polls and listening as pundits prognosticated ‘what it all means.’ I confess that I have spent most of my free time since Tuesday night reading columns on the right and the left, digging through the sudden avalanche of anxieties projected by ‘Red’ America,…

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Mother Teresa

The Challenge of Imitating Mother Teresa (or The Sorrow of Not Being a Saint)

Posted on September 6, 2016January 29, 2021 by ptsblog
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Once she was fast-tracked, the end result was no surprise. We knew she should become “St. Teresa”—though, as Pope Francis noted at Sunday’s canonization mass, it will be hard not to keep calling her “Mother.” No, what struck me was something else Pope Francis said: “May she be your model of holiness.” My model of…

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Founded in 1794, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary is a graduate theological school of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), offering master's and doctor of ministry degrees as well as certificate programs. Participating in God's ongoing mission in the world, Pittsburgh Seminary is a community of Christ joining in the Spirit's work of forming and equipping people for ministries familiar and yet to unfold and communities present and yet to be gathered.

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