Upper House Commons Events

Question: What is Christian Praying? The Hows, Whats, and Whys of This Mysterious Activity Answer: Amos Yong, Ph. D. Do you ever wonder what we are doing when we pray, particularly in light of Jesus’ and early Christians praying?  The biblical accounts provide templates for praying on the one hand but also, if we are open to a fresh reconsideration, raise many questions about this fundamental hum...

We dive deep into discussions about faith, Christianity, and the historical context of the Bible. In this episode, we explore the fascinating topic of apostolic prayer in the Book of Acts with our guest, Amos Yong. Amos shares insightful observations about the patterns and themes of prayer in the apostolic narrative, shedding light on the various contexts, postures, practices, and contents of pray...

In this electrifying session, Dr. Amos Yong illuminated Jesus' prayer life, planting seeds of wisdom on the importance of nurturing a habit of heartfelt prayer. He adeptly unpacked the beginnings of Jesus' ministry and transported us to those quiet places where Jesus sought solace and strength through prayer. Tony Bolos introduced the concept of immersive learning, revealing how a semest...

By 2030, as many as 100,000 church buildings and billions of dollars of church-owned property are expected to be sold or repurposed throughout the U.S. — representing the loss of gathering places and even social services in communities nationwide. According to Mark Elsdon, author and editor of Gone for Good: Negotiating the Coming Wave of Church Property Transition (Eerdmans, 2024), the transfer o...

It would be salutary for the church and its leadership to remain silent for a season until it learns how to engage in politics and even talk about politics in ways that are non-Nietzschean. James Davison Hunter (quoted above) coined the term “culture wars.” A sociologist, he is an astute observer of culture and a writer of many books reflecting on the times we live in. What, precisely, is he drivi...

A fundamental difference between the secular and Christian imagination relates to how people view the world. For many, it is assumed that only those things we can physically see and touch are what exist. Scripture teaches, however, that there are two realities that exist alongside each other: one visible and one invisible. Moreover, Christians have long believed that these seen and unseen realitie...

This gathering was cohosted with the  Awaken Dane project , a Lilly Endowment, Inc., funded initiative that helps participants from local churches listen deeply for and awaken to where the Spirit of God is at work in their local communities so they can join in that holy work. During our evening together, we will address pressing questions:  How might the Church help the university advance the comm...

Three nationally known preachers with a passion for training pastors and ministers will headline our second Midwest Gospel Preaching Summit, focusing on the theme Preaching that Changes Lives (Romans 10:9-17). Mt Zion Baptist Church and Upper House in Madison, Wisconsin, are cohosts of this transformative Summit for pastors and ministers committed to advancing the spiritual growth of their congreg...

Three nationally known preachers with a passion for training pastors and ministers will headline our second Midwest Gospel Preaching Summit, focusing on the theme  Preaching that Changes Lives  (Romans 10:9-17). Mt Zion Baptist Church and Upper House in Madison, Wisconsin, are cohosts of this transformative Summit for pastors and ministers committed to advancing the spiritual growth of their congr...

Three nationally known preachers with a passion for training pastors and ministers will headline our second Midwest Gospel Preaching Summit, focusing on the theme  Preaching that Changes Lives  (Romans 10:9-17). Mt Zion Baptist Church and Upper House in Madison, Wisconsin, are cohosts of this transformative Summit for pastors and ministers committed to advancing the spiritual growth of their congr...

Rev. Dr. Marcus Allen preached the opening sermon for the 2023 Midwest Gospel Preaching Summit. About our Speaker: Rev. Dr. Marcus Allen is the pastor at Mount Zion Baptist Church, one of Madison’s oldest and most storied African American churches; he is also president of the African American Council of Churches in Madison (AACCM). He has a heart and passion for students at UW-Madison and looks fo...

Please view the video recording of this event on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/rhvILa9T-eI The church is often tested in its capacity to serve all of God’s people well, as mandated in Scripture. When it comes to serving people with disabilities, the church at times pays close attention to those who persuasively and loudly raise their voices in self-advocacy. At other times, though, the chu...

This recording is from our Let the Art Speak conference on April 15, 2023. Joel Sheesley was one of a few presenters throughout the day. Through the ages, artists of all types have been captivated by the beauty of the natural world. Consider Albrecht Dürer, who painted a nature study titled  Great Piece of Turf  (1503) featuring sweet-meadow grass and dandelions; a masterpiece, it hangs in the Alb...

This recording is from our Let the Art Speak conference on April 15, 2023. Joel Sheesley was one of a few presenters throughout the day. Through the ages, artists of all types have been captivated by the beauty of the natural world. Consider Albrecht Dürer, who painted a nature study titled  Great Piece of Turf  (1503) featuring sweet-meadow grass and dandelions; a masterpiece, it hangs in the Alb...

The spiritual history of UW-Madison is deeper, richer, and more complex than most people know. Have you ever wondered why there are so many churches located around the campus? Did you know that most of the early dorms had chapels? Have you noticed the religiously-themed plaques on buildings, or the statue in honor of Abraham in the Humanities’ building courtyard? The more you look, the more you se...

The early Christian church emerged and dramatically spread even as Rome’s political dominion dramatically declined, weakened by mass-casualty pandemics, environmental calamities, political instability, and dehumanizing poverty. In this chaotic era, observes Roman historian Dr. Kyle Harper (University of Oklahoma), the church grew and “boasted of being a ‘new ethnos,’ a new nation” that adhered to...