December 9, 2011: John Witvliet Extended Interview
A Christmas pageant, says Calvin College professor of music and worship John Witvliet, is one of the best places in modern culture to witness "a genuine sense of mystery and even solemnity."

A Christmas pageant, says Calvin College professor of music and worship John Witvliet, is one of the best places in modern culture to witness "a genuine sense of mystery and even solemnity."
When you talk about end-of-life issues, according to Gundersen Lutheran Health System’s director of clinical ethics, “you’re really talking about the meaning of life, about your religious beliefs and faith, and ultimately about who you are.”
"The government is trying to tell us what we can or can’t do in terms of works of mercy, works of charity, which are fundamental to our faith," says Father Tom Ackerman of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Birmingham.
"That old Lutheran concept of the priesthood of all believers—Stephen Ministry helps you live that out,” says Rev. David Sloop of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Stephen Ministry affirms the tremendous value of the laity in doing the work of congregational care, writes pastoral theology professor Tonya Armstrong.
What war veterans need, says Rev. Dr. Rita Nakashima Brock of the Truth Commission on Conscience in War, "is for people to let them tell their stories and listen, and most congregations don’t really have a clue how to do that."
As national elections approach in the fragile African country of Sudan, one church's commitment to its education, agriculture, water, and micro-enterprise projects there remains steadfast.
Watch some of the religious leaders who were at the March 21 interfaith prayer service for immigration reform on the National Mall.
Local church leaders in Haiti and the Dominican Republic are waging a joint campaign to make sure aid gets to where it needs to go.
"Everything is gone," says Rev. Caleb Deliard, a Haitian-American pastor. "It's all gone. It hurts us deep down. We are, as a people now, wounded souls."

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