by Monica A. Coleman | Jan 17, 2012 | Blog, Monica's Blog, The Beautiful Mind Blog
In my last post, I suggested that contemporary Christians might think of God in metaphors with more direct relevance to our everyday lives than we are offered in the 23rd Psalm. I honestly believe that thinking of God as a shepherd was meaningful and even subversive...
by Monica A. Coleman | Jan 10, 2012 | Blog, Monica's Blog, The Beautiful Mind Blog
I’ve always been unnerved by the biblical story of Mary and Martha. Well, there are two stories. In John 11:1-12:11, they run to tell Jesus about Lazarus’ death. And in Luke 10:38-42, they host Jesus in their home. It’s the second story that drives me crazy. Or maybe...
by Monica A. Coleman | Dec 16, 2011 | Blog, Monica's Blog, The Beautiful Mind Blog
“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” I learned Psalm 23 by heart in the King James Version before I could read it in the Bible. Many young people raised in Christian families memorized this psalm for one of the Christian education events of a local church:...
by Monica A. Coleman | Dec 11, 2011 | Monica's Blog, The Beautiful Mind Blog
On December 1, 2011 the full professors of Claremont School of Theology rendered a unanimous vote to recommend that the Board of Trustees award me tenure. In the academic world, tenure is a significant accomplishment to which many aspire from the early days of...
by Monica A. Coleman | Dec 11, 2011 | Blog, Monica's Blog, The Beautiful Mind Blog
How can we have peace in the Middle East When there’s none at home? These are the opening lines to one of my favorite songs by jazz vocalist Rachelle Ferrell. The capstone to her self-titled 1992 album, “Peace on Earth,” speaks before and beyond the time of its...
by Monica A. Coleman | Dec 6, 2011 | Blog, Monica's Blog, The Beautiful Mind Blog
“Life is robbery.” I re-read this Alfred North Whitehead quotation to my students in the last weeks as we read through Adventures of Ideas. We were taking a welcome break from the philosophically demanding Process and Reality. I explained that this is one of...
by Monica A. Coleman | Nov 21, 2011 | Blog, Monica's Blog, The Beautiful Mind Blog
Since the Civil Rights era, many communities with which I affiliate have been “looking for the next King.” In some ways, this sentiment is a direct reference to the legendary leadership of Martin Luther King, Jr., recently commemorated in the memorial on the National...
by Monica A. Coleman | Nov 8, 2011 | Blog, Monica's Blog, The Beautiful Mind Blog
I love teaching in theological education because I loved being a student. When I was in college, I was an active lay Christian. I didn’t major in religion and had no plans to be a minister or professor of religion. But I had some questions that weren’t answered in...
by Monica A. Coleman | Oct 31, 2011 | Media, Monica's Blog, The Beautiful Mind Blog
I’m talking about religious pluralism and Jesus with Homebrewed Christianity. Listen to my thoughts here
by Monica A. Coleman | Oct 19, 2011 | Blog, Monica's Blog, The Beautiful Mind Blog
A couple of years into my career as a minister, I learned a short phrase about the sounds of church from another minister. There’s an awkward space of time at the beginning of a sermon when the preacher indicates the biblical passage from which the sermon will draw...
