MSI Press Blog

  This question is one that many Christians across traditions are asking. Christianity has always had divisions. The split between East and West in 1054, the Protestant Reformation, and countless denominational disagreements remind us that theological diversity is not new. What seems different today is that many of the fractures are occurring along lines that are not primarily theological. Some of the major pressures include: Political tribalism In many countries, especially the United States, political identity can become stronger than Christian identity. Christians who share the same creed may find themselves viewing one another primarily as political opponents. Churches can become associated with particular ideologies rather than with the Gospel itself. Digital fragmentation Social media rewards outrage, certainty, and conflict. Christians can easily find online communities that reinforce specific interpretations while dismissing others. The result is often less conversation and...

  From: An Afternoon's Dictation: Inclusive Revelation for the 21st Century (Greenebaum) As An Afternoon’s Dictation is published, however deep the hole in which we find ourselves, we face a basic truth. We can accept living in that deep hole or not. And if we reject living in this emotional and spiritual hole, we are going to need each other to climb out. However difficult and long that climb, I believe we owe the effort to our children and to children yet to come. And as we make that climb, may we free our souls of the fear of “them” that has so crippled our efforts to this moment.  Book Description In 1999 Steven Greenebaum felt he'd hit the wall. Fifty years old, he could not make sense of his life or the world around him. For several months he angrily demanded answers from God, if God were there. One afternoon, an inner voice told him to get a pen and paper and write. Steven then took dictation - three pages, not of commandments but guidance for leading a meaningful lif...

  From: An Afternoon's Dictation: Inclusive Revelation for the 21st Century (Greenebaum) I deeply believe that if we are to find our way out of the darkness we will need to come together. We will need to find and cleave to what can unite us. We will need, if you will, a positive, hopeful, action-based spiritual renewal.  Book Description In 1999 Steven Greenebaum felt he'd hit the wall. Fifty years old, he could not make sense of his life or the world around him. For several months he angrily demanded answers from God, if God were there. One afternoon, an inner voice told him to get a pen and paper and write. Steven then took dictation - three pages, not of commandments but guidance for leading a meaningful life.   An Afternoon's Dictation grapples with, organizes, and deeply explores the revelations Steven received and then studied for over ten years. His sharing is NOT offered as the only possible way to understand it the dictation. It is offered, rather, as a start. ...

  Families rarely fracture in a single moment. They unravel slowly, thread by thread, until the fabric that once felt indestructible begins to thin. The causes look different on the surface — politics, money, geography, pride — but underneath, they share a common root: disconnection of meaning . 1. Competing Narratives Every family carries a shared story — who we are, what we value, how we treat one another. When members begin to live by different stories, the bond weakens. One sibling sees independence as success; another sees loyalty as success. One generation prizes freedom; another prizes duty. When the family narrative splinters, belonging starts to feel conditional. 2. Unrepaired Wounds Conflict itself doesn’t destroy families; silence does. Arguments can be healed, but avoidance calcifies. The wound becomes identity: I’m the one who was betrayed. I’m the one who wasn’t heard. Without repair, love turns into distance disguised as civility. 3. The Economics of Care Money d...

The word community holds a quiet truth: unity lives at its heart. Not as sameness. Not as agreement. But as a shared commitment to show up—for one another, for the whole, for the sacred work of belonging. Community is not built by proximity alone. It’s shaped by the daily choice to listen, to include, to repair. It’s the practice of unity in motion—messy, imperfect, and holy. Unity doesn’t mean erasing difference. It means weaving it. Holding tension with grace. Making space for stories that stretch the soul. To live in community is to say: “You matter. We matter. Even when it’s hard.” And that kind of unity? It’s not a concept. It’s a way of being. a post inspired by  One Family Indivisible  by Steven Greenebaum Book Description: Throughout history we have divided ourselves into groupings of "us" and "them".  One Family: Indivisible  engagingly  invites the reader into the deeply spiritual and lifelong journey of the author to find a way to acknowledge ...