Thanks for your interest in The Arthur Chronicles. The list below, in chronological order from earliest to most recent, provides a brief description of the content or prominent theme of each post in that series. To read any post, click on its title in the list.
1. Arthur Lough’s Crisis of Faith (Published 12/30/2012)–We meet Arthur for the first time and learn why this faithful Christian minister, after a career of more than forty years, is struggling to maintain his commitment to faith and his confidence in the scriptures.
2. Another Conversation With Arthur (Pub. 1/4/2013)–Arthur describes his circuitous spiritual pilgrimage and explains why such a winding path has been necessary.
3. The Arthur Chronicles-No. 3 (Published 1/9/2013)–Arthur talks about the need for a new “reformation” within evangelical Christianity and reflects on the pattern, described by Phyllis Tickle in Emergence Christianity, of a significant event every 500 years throughout church history. [Includes reading recommendation.]
4. The Arthur Chronicles-No. 4 (Published 1/10/2013)–Arthur explains why twenty-somethings are leaving the church. [Includes reading recommendation.]
5. The Arthur Chronicles-No. 5 (Published 1/15/2013)–Arthur begins to explain why he is not currently attending church services. It has to do with the evangelical community’s misperception of what church is all about.
6. The Arthur Chronicles-No. 6 (Published 1/17/2013)–Arthur continues his discussion of the character of the contemporary evangelical church in America. He quotes John Stott: “People don’t reject Christianity because they find it untrue but because they find it trivial.” He illustrates this point by quoting from a book by Michael Horton. [Includes reading recommendation.]
7. The Arthur Chronicles-No. 7 (Published 1/23/2013)–The conversation moves to Arthur’s office where he explains what he means when he defines the church as “the agent of the Kingdom of God.” [Reading recommendation.]
8. The Arthur Chronicles-No. 8 (Published 1/25/2013)–Arthur discusses the two most important characteristics for Christian leaders and illustrates one of them with the image of a turtle on a fencepost. [Includes reading recommendations.]
9. The Arthur Chronicles-No. 9 (Published 1/28/2013)–Arthur responds emotionally to the news that he has been dropped as a speaker for a conference he was looking forward to. For the first time, we see how deeply he has been affected by his “involuntary retirement.”
10. The Arthur Chronicles-No. 10 (Published 1/30/2013)–Arthur addresses the idea of Christian pilgrimage, especially ones related to St. Patrick (Ireland) and St. Francis of Assisi (Italy) as well as the Camino de Santiago (Spain). He also comments on what he might have said at the conference from which he was dropped as a speaker. [Includes reading recommendation.]
11. The Arthur Chronicles-No. 11 (Published 2/6/2013)–An invitation to breakfast leads to some reflections on money and financial stewardship, for churches and for individual Christians.
12. The Arthur Chronicles-No. 12 (Published 2/12/13)–References to Andy Rooney and wood veneer furniture lead into the beginning of a discussion of the book called Chasing Francis, which Arthur had introduced a week or so ago.
13. The Arthur Chronicles-No. 13 (Published 2/19/13)–After lunch at Arthur’s home, discussion centers around a question from one of his former students: ‘Should pastors have ambition?’. [Reading recommendation.]
14. The Arthur Chronicles-No. 14 (Published 3/1/13)–Arthur reflects on the need for a voice like that of St. Francis in the contemporary Christian community and the ongoing relevance of Francis for American evangelicalism. [Reading recommendations.]
15. The Arthur Chronicles-No. 15 (Published 3-6-13)–In an email, Arthur comments on the issue of poverty, both spiritual and material, and likens economic poverty to prison.
16. The Arthur Chronicles-No. 16 (Published 3-14-13)–Arthur finds some resources from The Teaching Company helpful as he struggles with a bit of a “blue funk” after a particularly uplifting weekend.
17. The Arthur Chronicles-No. 17 (Published 3-19-13)–Arthur acknowledges a dilemma which has stymied his blog writing. He wants to write to the church, but he is not, at present, actively involved in a local church.
18. The Arthur Chronicles-End of Book One (Published 3-20-13)–We say goodbye to Arthur, at least for a while, after he reflects on some significant, if somewhat painful, experiences from his lifetime of ministry.
19. A Guest Post By Arthur Lough (Published 4-1-13)–Arthur consents to the publication, on this blog, of a short piece he wrote, called “A Military Analogy.” It is a cryptic assessment of Arthur’s most recent experiences in vocational ministry.
20. I Worry About Arthur (Published 4-9-13)–Arthur’s response to the death of Matthew Warren prompts concern for his own emotional well-being.
21. Arthur: If I Had It To Do Over (Published 4-26-13)–Driving home from a baseball game, Arthur reflects on his life as a Christian minister and the course he would have followed if he had his life to live over.
22. Arthur’s After-Dinner Speech (Published 5-4-13)–Arthur uses a last-minute invitation to deliver an after-dinner talk to a group of clergy as an opportunity to offer observations and counsel based on his forty years of experience in vocational ministry.
23. Arthur Lough: Back To The Blogosphere (Published 5-9-13)–This post announces that Arthur will begin writing the answers to questions that are sent to the blog called That’s A Good Question.
24. The Importance Of Perspective (Published 5-15-13)–Arthur shares the text of an encouraging email he received from a dear friend.
The Relentless Pursuit 