Written by Anne Alexander, Doctor of Intercultural Studies What do you think about the present culture? Complex question? Of course. There are so many moving parts in today’s culture that Jesus-followers can be cowed into silence, fearing they might offend someone. This is NOT a course on how to avoid offending people by soft-peddling truths…
Written by Peter D. Spychalla, Ph.D., D.Min. Associate Professor of New Testament & Spiritual Formation My kids are sick of me using the phrase “holistic human thriving.” They hear me use it frequently. Whether it is the national news, trajectories for us to follow, or any issue, I am forever asking the question, “Does this…
Welcome back to another Fall semester (albeit a strange one!). Our UTS blog has been silent this summer. In the last post, Dr. Ken Cuffey pointed us to Jesus’ Great Commandment – to love our neighbors as ourselves. The circumstances of the COVID pandemic, racial justice demonstrations and economic upheaval have been a period of…
By Dr. Ken Cuffey, President, Urbana Theological Seminary June 16, 2020 What are we as followers of Jesus to make of all that’s happened in these last several weeks? For some it’s been painful, agonizing, angering, while others have discovered a clarified focus for their energies. Whatever we feel, we need to remind ourselves that…
Written by Dr. Peter Spychalla, Assistant Professor of New Testament and Spiritual Formation Jubilate! Shout for joy! I pen these words early Lord’s Day morning — windows fully open, morning air cool and fresh, sun rising, sky azure, trees pushing out their leaves in hope, and birds chittering busily. It is Eastertide, that festal season…
Written by Margaret Schrock, Alum, Master of Arts in Religion, 2017 Saturday, April 25, 2020 Early March, rumblings announced the coming storm. Soon COVID-19 unleashed rapid changes as it assaulted central Illinois – warnings, closings, and finally stay at home orders. Suddenly I faced something I’d never faced before. Frankly, something I never thought I’d…
Written by Dr. Todd Daly, Associate Professor of Theology & Ethics Sunday, April 19, 2020 Father Paneloux grasped the wooden pulpit with both hands before delivering his opening blow: “Calamity has come on you, my brethren, and, my brethren, you deserved it.” His words were met with a flutter of aghast and murmurs throughout the…
Written by Dr. Ken Cuffey, President and Professor of Biblical Studies Monday, April 13, 2020 April 13, 2020—who would have predicted even a few months ago that life and society would look anything like they do—lock downs, spreading virus, mortality, social distancing, church services and work meetings all on Zoom? We watch the pandemic spread…
Written by Jonathan King, Director of Outreach Saturday, March 21, 2020 While walking the streets of Champaign this morning, I stopped to listen. Stillness. I thought about how this unprecedented stillness isn’t just here in our quaint university town in east central Illinois, but everywhere. Yes, everywhere. Okay, not every city, state, region or nation…
