ADVENT 2011

RELIGION
Advent Birth Pains: Staying Awake To The Heart Cry Of The World
By Rev. Laura Rose, Contributor
Senior Pastor, First Congregational Church of Alameda
The season of Advent sounds a discordant note in a world abuzz with holiday Muzak: The world around us is in turmoil, God. We need your presence. Come and occupy our world now!
RELIGION
Keep The "X" In Xmas
By Rev. William Lovin, Contributor
Pastor, Congregational United Church of Christ, Iowa City
Even if you're like me and want nothing to do with this fictitious "war" on Christmas, you might still feel that something is not right in what usually happens in December.
RELIGION
Mark 1:1–8: God Barges Into Our Lives
By Michael Joseph Brown, Ph.D., Contributor
Scholar of Christian Origins
When God speaks, often it is outside of the noble confines of the stained-glass edifice. This is what Mark is attempting to tell us: God's movement is often abrupt and unsettling.
RELIGION
Advent 2011: A Season Of Waiting For The Coming Of Christ (PHOTOS)
By Jahnabi Barooah
RELIGION
Advent: One of Those Dangerous Religious Ideas
By Matthew L. Skinner, Contributor
Professor of New Testament at Luther Seminary in Saint Paul
The impulses behind Advent should alarm those who are overly enamored with the current system, as well as any others who are overly confident in their ability to engineer what's best for the world.