Tom Ehrich
COMMENTARY: Change at the top
By Tom Ehrich — August 27, 2013
(RNS) Many congregations feel obliged to have long interim periods between pastors, during which all vestiges of the departed incumbent are erased, as if the transition were a traumatic divorce and remarriage, rather than a normal fact of institutional life.
COMMENTARY: Searching for a new imprint
By Tom Ehrich — August 20, 2013
(RNS) Our images of God, songs of worship and language of prayer tend to be those that were imprinted on us early on. It can take great patience and self-denial to hear another generation's soundtrack of faith and take it seriously.
COMMENTARY: Making do amid the perfectionists
By Tom Ehrich — August 13, 2013
(RNS) Perfection is a savage god. It doesn't just isolate you from other people. Perfection corrupts your soul by making an idol of your tastes and preferences.
COMMENTARY: Moving backward on racial progress
By Tom Ehrich — August 6, 2013
SEWANEE, Tenn. (RNS) Adaptation is how a bitter and broken South survived its own worst instincts after the Civil War. But now the dream has receded.
COMMENTARY: Connecting online and in person
By Tom Ehrich — July 30, 2013
(RNS) We need both: physical presence and online presence. That's what will change the Christian enterprise.
COMMENTARY: When giants fall
By Tom Ehrich — July 23, 2013
RNS) Businesses fail every day. So do films, industrial parks, hospitals, churches, and marriages. No enterprise can survive getting too comfortable. Serenity comes from living on the edge, in constant transformation.
COMMENTARY: The reckless right-wing war on America
By Tom Ehrich — July 16, 2013
(RNS) Right-wing zealots aren't people of honor. They are mean-spirited thugs. Their scorched-earth campaign isn't about a theory of government but rather contempt and nihilism.
COMMENTARY: The value of connections
By Tom Ehrich — July 2, 2013
HODGDON ISLAND, Maine (RNS) For our three-night sojourn in coastal Maine, far from crowds and constructive work, we stayed at a lovely bed-and-breakfast called the Hodgdon Island Inn. As a frequent traveler accustomed to anonymity, I welcome the opportunity to chat with other guests.
COMMENTARY: The real threat to marriage
By Tom Ehrich — June 25, 2013
(RNS) Our consumer economy does not want to allow us to move beyond the shallow and self-centered and to attain maturity, perspective, wisdom, and that most holy of virtues: giving up one's own needs for the good of the other.
COMMENTARY: Mindless metrics
By Tom Ehrich — June 4, 2013
(RNS) Many congregations stick to counting people in the pews and shun the harder work of measuring outcomes and impact.
COMMENTARY: The thrill of the race
By Tom Ehrich — May 28, 2013
(RNS) What I have found at the Indianapolis Speedway is similar to the best faith moments I have had: pure experience, no pretense, no whining, a clear focus on what matters.
COMMENTARY: The revolution is upon us
By Tom Ehrich — May 21, 2013
(RNS) Religious historians say that every 500 years, Christianity goes through a "massive transition,'' as Phyllis Tickle puts it. We aren't likely to comprehend this latest transition until it is further along. But two things are clear: Christianity in North America is being freed from its own roots, and Christianity no longer controls the flow.
COMMENTARY: The boogeyman approacheth
By Tom Ehrich — May 14, 2013
(RNS) Conspiracy theorists tend to overreach, and common sense sees through their extravagant imaginings, but not before lives have been ruined, urgent needs avoided, and people rendered a bit more suspicious of their neighbors.
COMMENTARY: Creating connections by erasing boundaries
By Tom Ehrich — May 7, 2013
NEW YORK (RNS) Religious leaders worry about the decline of religion in America. I think their worry is misplaced. Faith is doing just fine, and it's a great time to be seeking God.
COMMENTARY: President Obama, Mourner in Chief
By Tom Ehrich — April 30, 2013
(RNS) The searing experience of being an effective "Mourner in Chief" might stir President Obama's appetite for political battle. I certainly hope so. Because the people need an advocate.
