Linda Franklin, new pastor at Bethany Church, learns that her much-beloved predecessor, Janet Southington, has been decertified as a pastor because of alleged sexual misconduct. The parishioners at Bethany wish to leave the denomination in protest. How will Rev. Franklin help her congregation address issues of sexuality, clergy accountability, denominational polity, and congregational life?

One God Too Many: Jeremiah and the Worship of the Queen of Heaven (Jeremiah 44)

Mark W. Hamilton

Competing views of deity, divine justice, and the nature of community force leaders in Jeremiah's Israelite emigré community to ask how to apply the prophetic message of rigorous monotheism to their new unstable situation.

Showing Your True Colors

David Stubbs

After September 11, Kristin Sutherland returned to the church she pastored to learn that the congregational council was discussing placing a large American flag in the sanctuary as a statement of solidarity with the nation. Kristin must deal with issues of civil religion, the use of symbols, liturgical innovation, and even the personal relationships of her parishioners as she helps them navigate the emotional and theological challenges that the proposal presents.

It Must Not Be So among You

Jeanene Reese

Veteran missionary Virginia Hilliard works through a demanding week, forcing her to wrestle with the tangle of commitment, disappointment, and exhaustion that confronts her on the mission field.

Whose Sermon Is It?

John V. Tornfelt

Dr. Martin’s sermons would be perfect – if they were actually his. Now Karen and Andy McDonald, loyal members of Grace Church, must determine how to address plagiarism in the pulpit.

Stuffing the Ballot Box

Russell Burrill

Controversy is growing around a new leader at the recently planted Southside Church. The situation gets even more complicated when Pastor Johnson discovers that the election determining the shape of the leadership has been rigged.

Blind Ambition: The Case of Jephthah and His Sacrifice (Judges 10:17-11:40)

Kon Yang

What sacrifices are worth making, and which ones ought we to excoriate? Jephthah, the Judge of Israel infamous for sacrificing his daughter, makes a case in his own defense.

A Review Essay

Mark W. Hamilton