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Articles by Heidi Neumark
Ancestral blessings
Recently I’ve been offered two questions that feel like gifts. The first came from a pastor who gave a talk at a conference I attended. In describing some of his innovative approaches to worship, he said that he opens Sunday services by inviting congregants to name a person or persons they’ve brought into the church with them that morning. As in: Whose spirit is with you today as you enter into worship? To whom are you particularly grateful or indebted?
Lectionary essay for November 17 Ordinary 33B Mark 13 1 8
This essay is on a biblical text assigned for November 17, and I’m mindful that you may be reading it sometime after the November 5 election in the United States—though I can’t say for certain that the matter will be completely settled by then. If the very recent history of US elections and the rhetoric around this one are any indication, things will be very much up in the air.
Majority of Jewish voters open to partial arms embargo on Israel
This story was originally published in the Forward. Click here to get the Forward's free email newsletters delivered to your inbox. More than a year after the October 7 Hamas attack, most Jews in the US are broadly supportive of Israel but harshly critical of its leadership and prosecution of the war on Gaza, according to an Election Day exit poll released on Thursday, even as they expressed deep concerns about antisemitism related to protests against the war.
Episode 10: Queering Eros with Jon Carl Lewis
Jon Carl Lewis (he/him/his) is a spiritual guide and liberative educator in the queer, contemplative Christian tradition. He loves helping people recognize vital connections among the various aspects of themselves as a way of grounding their exploration of what brings them deep meaning, connection, and joy. You can learn more about him and read his work on his substack here and his instagram here. The Rev.
Why is the widow poor? (Mark 12:38-44)
To receive these posts by email each Monday, sign up. For more commentary on this week's readings, see the Reflections on the Lectionary page. For full-text access to all articles, subscribe to the Century. Consider how often the Bible talks about widows, who were among the most vulnerable members of society. Theirs were the days before State Farm or Mutual of Omaha, before there would be insurance payouts to cover the bills in the event of your spouse’s death.
Essays by readers: Help
The Buechner Narrative Writing Project honors the life and legacy of writer and theologian Frederick Buechner with the aim of nurturing the art of spiritual writing and reflection. Readers are invited to submit first-person narratives (under 1,000 words). Read more.
Jesus is Lord. No political leader is.
Last month, “Jesus is Lord” and “Christ is King” emerged as slogans in the US election campaign when anti-abortion protesters shouted the phrases at Kamala Harris while she was speaking about abortion. “You’re at the wrong rally,” the vice president responded to the university students. Immediately “Jesus is Lord” became a wedge issue in the presidential race.
Cecil Williams kept his ear to the ground
In the movie The Pursuit of Happyness, which is based on a true story, Will Smith portrays Chris Gardner—an unhoused, Black, single father in San Francisco. In one scene, he and his young son go to Glide Memorial Church, where they’ve been told they can get a hot meal and secure a bed for the night. While they are waiting in line, the pastor comes outside to announce that there are only a few beds left. Gardner and his son will get the last one.
Faith groups resolve to protect migrants, refugees after Trump win
Immigrants form Honduras recount their separation from their children at the border during a news conference in 2018 at Annunciation House in El Paso, Texas. (AP Photo/Matt York) Former President Donald Trump’s election to a second term prompted faith groups that work with migrants and refugees to reaffirm their commitment to continue their work after Trump campaigned on blocking migration and carrying out record deportations.
Wreckage and euphoria
On the dedication page of Barbara Crooker’s new poetry collection, we read that her book is “For Richard, da cuore.” The Italian phrase can mean “with all my heart,” or even “from heart to heart.” The Richard in question is her husband, who died in 2021 after 46 years of marriage. And so, from the very start of this volume we are alerted to the kind of journey these poems will take: to loss, decline, and death. What can counter these inevitabilities?
Historical 'twin pillars' of US Black communities partner to boost vote
Linda Chapman of Waterbury, Connecticut, left, a member of the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc., talks with US Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-Conn., at a Souls to the Polls voting rally at Grace Baptist Church, October 26 in Waterbury. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill) Soon after Vice President Kamala Harris shifted from vice presidential candidate to presidential nominee, 44,000 of her supporters dialed into a call dubbed Win With Black Women that quickly became something of a sorority rally.
The Obama campaign, fictionalized
To paraphrase an online saying: you’re not nostalgic for Obama’s first campaign, you’re nostalgic for the age you were during Obama’s first campaign. From the very beginning, it was disorienting to watch his sudden rise from unknown to inevitable.
The dessert of life?
The month of August heralds one of my favorite saints. St. Lawrence was one of seven deacons of the church in Rome in the third century. Lawrence was the church treasurer. His job included the distribution of charity and caring for church properties. In 257, the emperor Valerian launched his persecution of the church. He seized all church property and forbade people from gathering to worship.
Juneberry Primer
As a girl, I’d pronounce compote like coyote. Clafoutis rhymed with clematis or stephanotis instead of cherry or juneberry, syllables I never quite pronounced right— add to this list, a plaque and the plague; musically, a zydeco versus a xylophone.
Ulysses and the post-Catholic James Joyce
“History is a nightmare from which I am trying to awake,” Stephen Dedalus says, early in James Joyce’s Ulysses. Twenty-five years ago, when I was starting my dissertation research on this groundbreaking novel from 1922, I spent some time analyzing the significance of this statement in the context of Irish history and Joyce’s artistic theory. Now, I don’t have to analyze it. I just get it. I am watching an epoch of history unfold, and I don’t like where it seems to be going.
Essays by readers: Stretch
The Buechner Narrative Writing Project honors the life and legacy of writer and theologian Frederick Buechner with the aim of nurturing the art of spiritual writing and reflection. Readers are invited to submit first-person narratives (under 1,000 words). Read more. Moments continue to go up in flames like the bush in Midian to illumine, if only for a moment, a path that stretches before us like no other path.
Latino Episcopalians in the spotlight with Gutiérrez presiding bishop nomination
Acolytes lead the procession at San Mateo Episcopal Church in Hyattsville, Maryland, on May 19. (RNS photo/Aleja Hertzler-McCain) Six years ago, during the keynote address at the 2018 Nuevo Amanecer conference in Hendersonville, North Carolina, Episocpal Bishop Daniel G.P. Gutiérrez of the Diocese of Pennsylvania told an audience of Latino Episcopalians: “We are not an outreach project. We are the church.” Today, Gutiérrez is one of five nominees to succeed Presiding Bishop Michael Curry.
What’s special about a church building?
I’ve walked in and out church doors for so long I had forgotten. The strangeness of a building, a gathering, an hour or two or three on a Sunday morning where you, me, anyone can simply walk in and sit and listen, maybe meet someone new. No ticket required. No purchase of a pint or coffee or burger and fries in order to stay. You don’t need a bike. You don’t need to know how to sew or sing to be a part of this living thing that comes into being every week. You could go to a park or free museum, sure.
Lectionary essay for June 9 Ordinary 10B 1 Samuel 8 4 11 12 15 16 20 11 14 15
The people must have been so disappointed in Samuel. He comes into his leadership role as a prophet and judge instead of the sons of Eli, who are corrupt. For all the years of his life, Samuel is a trusted leader of Israel. He goes on a circuit from town to town as a judge. He leads the people militarily, making sacrifices to God and gaining God’s support in battle (1 Sam. 7:6–16). Samuel is a good leader. Until he isn’t.
A pulpit without a context
The cursor zips across the screen in the video introducing me to AI sermon tech. I watch as a preacher selects a quote from a list and then adds a “social starter” to the page. The sermon manuscript buzzes to completion, followed by offers for related products—creative engagement questions or “viral captions” for social media. The ad is fast-paced and shiny, conveying the promise of the product: to create sermons with greater impact in a fraction of the time.
A crushing lack of humanity
Ametronome ticks as a Cher record spins to life on a turntable. The camera pulls back to reveal these objects arranged neatly on a hydraulic press—along with a trumpet, a piano, a guitar, analog cameras, cans of paint, leather-bound journals, old computer monitors, and even a stack of foam emojis. As the press plate lowers, the trumpet is crushed, the paint cans burst, and the camera lenses shatter.
A crushing lack of humanity
Ametronome ticks as a Cher record spins to life on a turntable. The camera pulls back to reveal these objects arranged neatly on a hydraulic press—along with a trumpet, a piano, a guitar, analog cameras, cans of paint, leather-bound journals, old computer monitors, and even a stack of foam emojis. As the press plate lowers, the trumpet is crushed, the paint cans burst, and the camera lenses shatter.
Jesus’ very Jewish question about sabbath (Mark 2:23-3:6)
To receive these posts by email each Monday, sign up. For more commentary on this week's readings, see the Reflections on the Lectionary page. For full-text access to all articles, subscribe to the Century. Sabbath is given and commanded as a day of rest, being modeled after the idea that God rested after all the work that God had done to create the world (Ex. 20:8-11). In Deuteronomy, sabbath is also described as a sign of liberation.
A pulpit without a context
The cursor zips across the screen in the video introducing me to AI sermon tech. I watch as a preacher selects a quote from a list and then adds a “social starter” to the page. The sermon manuscript buzzes to completion, followed by offers for related products—creative engagement questions or “viral captions” for social media. The ad is fast-paced and shiny, conveying the promise of the product: to create sermons with greater impact in a fraction of the time.
Unknown 18th-century hymns discovered in Wales
If you ever find yourself at a rugby game in Wales, don’t be surprised when the crowds begin to belt out Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah, known as Bread of Heaven to the Welsh. Called the “Land of Song,” hymns in Wales are not just for church services. They have played a prominent role in the life of the nation by preserving and transmitting its language and culture. Even as churches continue to close, formal and impromptu hymn sings remain.
Episode 40: Religion scholar Eddie Glaude Jr., author of We Are the Leaders We Have Been Looking For
Welcome to Madang Podcast. Madang is the outdoor living room of the world. Here, we invite you to sit and tune into unreserved, remarkable conversations with renowned authors, leaders, public figures, and scholars on religion, culture, and everything in-between. This has been a dream of mine for many years and now it is a reality. Please join me at Madang Podcast hosted by the Christian Century.
Too much mystery?
One of the greatest gifts progressive Christianity has given me is the gift of mystery. I grew up in a church tradition that put a lot of stock in certitude, so I am grateful now to be able to affirm simultaneously that I am a person of faith and that my answer to many religious and spiritual questions is “I don’t know.” Unwavering intellectual assent to a set of black-and-white doctrines is no longer my litmus test for faithfulness.
An evangelical scholar reads scripture through Artemis
Women without children, like me, may be disturbed by the assertion in 1 Timothy 2:15 that women will be “saved through childbearing.” Where does that leave us? Sandra Glahn understands this concern personally. As she states in the introduction to Nobody’s Mother, she has had seven pregnancy losses, an ectopic pregnancy, and three failed adoptions.
Coffee justice in Mexico
Though the coffee at the hotel was bland and stale, the carafe bore a label indicating that this was no ordinary brew. “Rainforest Alliance Certified,” it said. A few hours later, on an airplane on my way to Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico, my coffee cup was marked with a label that said “Community Coffee” and noted that the airline selected its coffee in order to “do good.” That’s a lot of angst for an ordinary drink that is part of the everyday life of 62 percent of Americans.
The wilderness of a rural ministry circuit
When the bishop first broached the idea of my serving as a “missional coach” with a six-church parish in upstate New York, his expectations didn’t sound high. His assistant promised that if it wasn’t working out, I could give them a month’s notice. I drew a line on a map connecting the six different villages. It traced a question mark, which is perfect because all I have are questions. At the first parish board meeting I attended, the bishop talked about how great I am.
After Hagia Sophia, Turkey converts second ancient Byzantine church into mosque
Hundreds of worshippers filled the narrow streets of Istanbul’s Fatih district on Friday to hear the sounds of Friday prayers ringing out from the newly inaugurated Kariye Mosque. Once known as the Chora Church, the site spent the last 79 years as a museum. But it is now the latest structure to be converted back into a mosque by the government of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, following the conversion of Hagia Sophia in 2020.
Muslim student protestors feel sense of purpose mingled with fear
Fahad Kiani knows he is making history by participating in the pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses around New York. Over the past few weeks, Kiani, a graduate of the City University of New York, has demonstrated at his alma mater and at Columbia University. But while the heightened police presence and the 24-hour tent encampments dominate news headlines, Kiani found hope when a fellow protester decided to become Muslim just outside Columbia’s gates one night last week.
Bearing the scars
The recent election of Javier Milei as president of Argentina—with his telling slogan “Make Argentina Great Again!”—brought back memories of studying and living there. I was there during the Dirty War in the 1970s and early ’80s, which pitted a military dictatorship against the Argentinian people, leading to the kidnapping and death of some 30,000 people, many of whom were tortured before being dropped from planes into the ocean. Milei has his own version of events favorable to the dictatorship.
My Pentecostal kin
Cielos Abiertos Huerta de Adonai, Aguas Cristalinas, Ríos de Salvación, Estrella de Amor, Centro de Fuego Santo, Casa de Avivamiento. Churches are popping up like mushrooms in the dirt-poor neighborhoods where my Argentine in-laws live. They are Pentecostal, a group absent—whether by choice or by lack of invitation—from almost every ecumenical group in which I have participated.
When Judaism became Judaism
Yonatan Adler posits a convincing thesis, tightly and compellingly argued, that widespread observance of Pentateuchal legislation by Judeans—or what we now call Judaism—emerged no earlier than the Hellenistic period.
Honoring the mothers of environmental justice
Touted for its pristine waters and health benefits, Warren County, North Carolina, was the last place one would expect to find a toxic waste dump. That is, Dollie Burwell realized, until you factor in race. In 1978, a trucking company, looking to cut costs, dumped more than 30,000 gallons of toxic waste—including deadly manufacturing chemicals called polychlorinated biphenyls—alongside roadways in Warren County and elsewhere in the state.
A gospel that admits it’s a false prophecy
Many readers are familiar with the concept of lost or alternative gospels, which were produced so abundantly in the early Christian era. Another gospel, from a much later era, might be unique in Christian literature of any and all eras. Just imagine a gospel composed by Jorge Luis Borges while Umberto Eco held his coat and Neil Gaiman took notes. The text in question is the Gospel of Barnabas, which in its present form was probably composed in Spanish around 1600.
A war correspondent’s view of conflict in the US
To say that the United States is polarized politically is an understatement. A 2014 survey by political scientists Shanto Iyengar and Sean Westwood found that 33 percent of Democrats and 40 percent of Republicans would be “disturbed” if their child married someone from the opposite political party, compared to 5 percent in the 1960s. The 2020 election further exacerbated the divide.
The strangers whose blood donations saved my life
I recently went into the hospital for a routine hip replacement. My left hip was replaced ten years ago, and now the right hip ached for its turn. The surgeon told me that techniques have improved in the past decade and I should expect a smooth and speedy recovery compared with the last time. This was important to me given my impending retirement, as I wanted to be as fit and present in church as possible.
Encouraged by donkeys
(Source image: isabela66 / iStock / Getty) Irecently sent a herd of donkeys from Manhattan to Montana. These included a carved wooden donkey from Prague with a barrel on his back, a yellow ceramic donkey from Mexico embellished with flowers and a fringed saddle, a three-legged donkey positioned so that only I knew his secret, a Hopi donkey bearing sacred drawings, a plastic Eeyore, and so many more. Over the years the herd increased to about 30.
A church undergoes structural change
Photo © Sanya Kushak / iStock / Getty The sledgehammer breaking down walls outside the office wrecks my plans for the morning. Mercifully it stops. Then the jackhammers double down. Such is life in a construction zone. In the 1950s, a pastor built a projection booth in our church basement, optimistically called “the undercroft.” Decades later, the booth became a food pantry.
The 2020 Census and the daughters of Zelophehad
Donald Trump’s obsession with numbers became evident immediately following his inauguration. He and his press secretary, Sean Spicer, insisted repeatedly that the event drew the largest numbers ever, despite contrary evidence.
A pastoral encounter with abortion I’ll never forget
As I have followed the latest round of debate on abortion, provoked by the passage of stricter laws in several states, I’ve realized again that I don’t fit easily into any camp: I am both pro-choice and pro-life. I remember the era before Roe v. Wade, when the pastor of the well-off suburban congregation my family attended helped certain teenagers from the church travel to Puerto Rico for abortions.
Seeing myself in the story of the Feast of the Visitation
Visitación, detail from mural at Casa Ave Maria in Managua, Nicaragua I come again to the story of the Feast of the Visitation after 36 years of pastoral ministry. When my younger self chose it as my ordination text, I identified with Mary’s youthful revolutionary fire. I still do. But as I age, I’ve begun to see myself in Elizabeth, and I’m noticing some new components in the story as well. According to Luke, as soon as the angel Gabriel departs, Mary hurries off to visit her cousin.
See the asylum seekers’ wounds and believe
Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe. These Easter words from John’s Gospel bring to mind my experiences on a recent trip to our border at San Diego and Tijuana near the San Isidro port of entry, the busiest border crossing between the United States and Mexico.
Why I smuggled liberation theology books into Argentina
My life was changed one evening during my seminary days when I decided to put off writing a paper and attend a lecture instead. My decision was based on the impulse to procrastinate, but I was also aware that wine and cheese would be available at the lecture. The speaker was Bishop Juan ?obrda from Argentina, who was speaking in the time of the “Dirty War” which brought terror to Argentina from 1976 until 1983.
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