By Thomas H. Troeger

We are healed by God’s identification with our suffering.

By Rev. Dr. Marvin A. McMickle

The phenomenal growth of Pentecostal movements within African American communities has been one of the most significant developments in Christianity in the United States. It is safe to say that the history of African American Christianity can be divided into three phases of denominational influence: the Methodists in the nineteenth century, the Baptists in the twentieth century, and Pentecostal groups in the twenty-first century.

By Demetra Velisarios Jaquet

The Feast of Pentecost is not simply the celebration of an event which took place centuries ago. It is the constant renewal of relationship as sacrament in Church and community. We all have died and risen with the Messiah, and we all have received His Most Holy Spirit.

By Dr. Harold Dean Trulear

Pentecost must be set free. First, Pentecost must be set free from the silence of the church concerning its importance. Second, Pentecost must be wrest- ed from its association solely with denominational designation. Third, Pentecost must be delivered from denominational caricatures that identify it primarily with glossolalia as the badge of fidelity.

By Rev. Dr. Judy Yates Siker

The story of Pentecost is indeed the story of how unsettling the in-breaking of the Spirit can be. But it is the story of spiritual transformation, as all the people in the crowd were empowered as they heard the Gospel in a way they understood. Perhaps we ought to pray again that God send that unsettling Spirit among us to con- fuse us and shake us loose from our safe places. As we learn to speak and hear “in other tongues,” it may bring new light to shine on familiar matters.

By Dr. Cheryl Bridges John

Tarrying involves waiting before the Lord in anticipation of Divine intervention. To tarry is to plunge into that tension between the times, the tension between the “already” and the “not yet.” It involves actively attending to the presence of God, yet patiently waiting for that mysterious biblical event known as “the fullness of time.”

By Luis Rivera-Pagan
Migration and xenophobia are serious social quandaries. But they also convey urgent challenges to the ethical sensitivity of religious people and all persons of good will. The first step we need to take is to perceive this issue from the perspective of the immigrants, to pay cordial (that is, deep from our hearts) attention to their stories of suffering, hope, courage, resistance, ingenuity, and, as so frequently happens in the deserts of the Southwest, death.