theology Archives - Debra Rienstra

The Enemy Within

The wan plea Why can’t we all just get along? seems trivial and stupid, but it’s actually a good question, one humans have been asking since forever. Maybe the rock-bottom answer is always the same: the primordial sin plaguing us since Cain and Abel. Kin-conflict,…

Debra RienstraNovember 16, 2024

climate change spirituality theology

What Can the Church Offer to a World in Crisis?

What distinctive gifts does the church bring to the table? What can we offer, right now, in this moment in history? What gifts of the church are suited well for what we need?

Debra RienstraApril 6, 2024

arts theology

Blessed Unrest

We often wonder what God is calling us to do in a particular moment or passage of life. Could we ask ourselves, in such moments, “What is my blessed unrest here?”

Debra RienstraJanuary 27, 2024

climate change theology

How to Live at the End of the World

But what to do with this whiz-bang of a passage from Mark, where Jesus instructs the disciples about impending doom?

Debra RienstraNovember 11, 2023

silly theology

Where Angels Fear to Tread

“I’m angry. I’m sad. I feel as if we’ve reached the end of an era with this bunch, and I don’t know what’s next.”

Debra RienstraJune 10, 2023

climate change politics theology

Why Does Religion Get in the Way of Climate Action?

Depending on which corners of the church you hang around in, you might notice anything from heavy-duty activism to climate denial. So I’ve been wishing for a long time for hard data. What are the numbers on what actual church people are actually doing and…

Debra RienstraFebruary 18, 2023

spirituality theology

Church of Empire, Church of Refugia, 2047 and Beyond

We’re all speculating here, I guess, with the understanding that the speculation is itself a process of hope: what do we long for? what outcomes can we imagine and, through that imagining, help enact?

Debra RienstraJanuary 4, 2023

cultural commentary politics theology

The Best Story Wins

I want to focus on the power of meaning-making narratives. In the wearying events of the last few years, we’ve seen two tiny little denominations struggle to figure out (once again) what narrative we are living into. Is the future of our denominations a game…

Debra RienstraJuly 9, 2022

climate change nature theology

The Longing God: A Meditation on Isaiah 55

The most amazing thing about this passage, at least to me, is the evident fact that God is longing, too.

Debra RienstraMarch 19, 2022

liturgical year nature theology

Glory to God in the Lowest

The birth of the child is the focal point of God’s communion with the whole of creation. This is the deep wisdom of the doctrine of incarnation: the person Jesus is the crucial stitch uniting heaven and earth, spiritual and physical, entirely and forever.

Debra RienstraDecember 25, 2021

theology

The Enemy Within

What Can the Church Offer to a World in Crisis?

Blessed Unrest

How to Live at the End of the World

Where Angels Fear to Tread

Why Does Religion Get in the Way of Climate Action?

Church of Empire, Church of Refugia, 2047 and Beyond

The Best Story Wins

The Longing God: A Meditation on Isaiah 55

Glory to God in the Lowest

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