In what seems like a lifetime ago, many of the best resources available for churches were from Ecufilm, an ecumenical producer and distributor of resources. The "Faces on Faith" series, for example, brought laypeople face-to-face with some of the top theologians of the world long before Krista Tippett began bringing their voices to public radio.

Over time, sadly, Ecufilm produced far fewer resources and instead became a great source for videos from other companies. Now, though, they have released a new resource that fills a HUGE hole in the market. It's called Servant or Sucker: Wise/Compassionate Ways to Help the Poor. 

We have two reviews for you today which connect with this historic time, one below (Barack Obama: An American Story) and one (a short film called, "What Makes Me White") on our website.

I first became acquainted with Christian singer and songwriter Bryan Sirchio and his music last October. Ever since that time, at random moments words from one of Bryan’s many songs will pop into my head…

To read The Joy of Pilgrimage is to embark on an enjoyable journey with author, Lori Erickson, as she explores the value and power of pilgrimage. This book is part travel guide, part personal journal and part persuasive essay. I recommend adding it to your personal reading list and purchasing a copy for your church library.

Most congregations seem to have better success getting women's study groups going than they do men's groups. The reasons for this are numerous and will be covered in a future email, but there is little doubt that religious marketers have taken advantage of this fact by offering some trendy and female-friendly curricula. Yet one difficulty faces any publisher: the simple fact that there are fewer stories about women in scripture than there are about men. Publishers have put forth a variety of lessons on women in the Bible, such as the incredibly popular (but theologically-impoverished) Bad Girls of the Bible series. Few DVD-based studies on women in scripture have been created with a progressive audience in mind, but a new series seeks to address that problem: the Uppity Women of the Bible series. ...

Most weeks our Thursday email/blog will feature a review of a book, DVD, curriculum, or other "physical" resource. From time to time, though, we'll tell you about a website you simply must check out, bookmark, and revisit frequently. First up...

 We live in an age and time when we're often more likely to emphasize and get stuck on being right than on understanding the point of view of another person. During the election season, most conservatives read conservative blogs , while liberals read liberal blogs , and neither group gets very good at really listening to the other. The same thing is often true in religious circles; several times in the past week I've had progressive friends lament the upcoming discussions they'd have with their conservative family members. It seems to be a rare individual who really "gets" people on the other side of the proverbial fence. ...

Religious books which recount a biblical story for children are frequently plagued by a number of problems that can render them less-than-acceptable in progressive congregations. Too often, the artwork portrays light-skinned characters instead of ones that look like they really do come from the Middle East....

I invite you to take a look at The View from Under the Pew written by Diane Winters Johnson and illustrated by Margaret Freed if you are looking for a children’s book...