Columbia Connections

My engineer son has a mantra: “Fix the problem.” As mantras go, it’s a pretty good one. Simple, memorable, intuitive, and to the point.

The mantra refers to our tendency to go about addressing problems by doing a lot of...

In the rush to reopen the economy, epidemiologists are warning of a second wave of the COVID19 infections that may be more severe.

Time will tell.

Meanwhile, angry white protesters, preferring guns over facemasks, have been expressing their outrage over...

By Brian D. Hecker, Public Services Archivist 

In the summer of 1932, James McDowell Richards (1902-1986), nearing the age of thirty, accepted an offer from the Board of Directors of Columbia Theological Seminary (CTS) to become its president, a position he initially did not anticipate keeping for more than 5 years.1 Richards graduated from CTS...

In my consultations I often have to help folks think through what is a realistic goal and what is aspirational, or, as I call it, “magical thinking.” Their ideas for a goal are often fuzzy (“more,” “better”). People consistently overreach...

My parents died within the last decade and I watched them age over a period of 10 years with a plethora of emotions.

It was was a whole new experience for my brother and I, one for which we had...

One insight from participants in our Pastoral Excellence Program is that ministry is hard and getting harder. One particularly troublesome challenge clergy tell us they face is an increase in incivility, not only in the culture,...