Grounded in Faith, Formed in Community
Nearly a year into her role as director of the Doctor of Ministry Program at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, the Rev. Dr. Donna Giver-Johnston is finding her stride. A Pittsburgh native, she came to the Seminary in January 2023 after 20 years serving as an ordained Presbyterian pastor, most recently at Community PC of Ben Avon…
Do neighbors matter? When we think about our social lives and wellbeing, our minds typically go first to the people closest to us: family, close friends, romantic partners. But what I’ve come to realize is the importance of “weak ties,” a term coined by Stanford sociologist Mark Granovetter. Weak ties are casual acquaintances, people we…
I have recently been interested in the idea of theodicy, and as a survivor of childhood trauma and abuse[1] trying to find the meaning of suffering, if there even is one. I am currently working on a devotional book on reading Scripture through the lens of trauma. The study that I have done and the…