Tom Ehrich

Tom Ehrich is a writer, church consultant and Episcopal priest based in New York. He is the author of “Just Wondering, Jesus” and founder of the Church Wellness Project. His website is www.morningwalkmedia.com.

All Stories by Tom Ehrich

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: Learning to love complexity

By Tom Ehrich — July 8, 2013
(RNS) In the modern global connectedness, our future depends on making our way through a minefield of things we don't understand and can't reduce to crime-drama simplicity.

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: When the government lies, a covenant is broken

By Tom Ehrich — June 18, 2013
(RNS) When the government lies, it breaks its covenant with the people, and risks chaos worse than any terrorist could imagine.

COMMENTARY: Online surveillance undermines civil liberties

By Tom Ehrich — June 11, 2013
(RNS) Snooping undermines the civil liberties that make the United States of America what it is.

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.
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