Features
Bonhoeffer’s warning
In a 1939 essay, he compares the German and US churches—and asks what Christian freedom looks like when political pressure overwhelms theological clarity.
The rise of the American Muslim public servant
It turns out that organized Islamophobia has given American Muslims the incentive to organize as well.
Sufjan Stevens’s ghosts
For a songwriter steeped in grief and religion, learning to live with what he’s lost may be its own kind of faith.
Barth’s refusal
When the intelligentsia attempted to enthrone German culture as divine, he would not join them.
The empire’s uniforms in the world’s oldest colony
Puerto Ricans have a proud heritage of fighting against imperialism—and a long history of serving in the US military.
José Saramago’s clarifying unbelief
Reading the atheist novelist has shaped my faith’s suspicion of religious power, capitalist inevitability, and hollow progress.
The pastor with no robe
Economic ideology can strip a vocation bare. The danger is especially acute for clergy of color.
The monk and the machine
How can we be better stewards of AI? Thomas Merton’s writing on technology can help.
It’s not too late for climate action
“The God-given gift of human ingenuity,” says activist Bill McKibben, “is on par with the God-given gift of sunshine and wind.”
The inclusivity trap
A commitment to inclusion can help majority White congregations feel virtuous—while avoiding costly action.
I mourned Annie Dillard as if I knew her personally
Writers are mirror makers. They use words to create a sheen onto which we see all manner of reflections.
The price of virtue
It is often easier to do good or be good if you are rich. Just ask Job.
We keep turning women into monsters
Reading Eleanor Johnson’s new book while watching the Lindsay Clancy trial, I realized we’re still using the same ancient myths against women.
Hildegard’s living stones
The 12th-century polymath’s worldview exposes the limits of our supposedly enlightened one.
Where the salmon run again
In the Pacific Northwest, an era of dam removal has begun.
Annie Dillard’s unrestrained hallelujah
The visionary writer showed us that paying attention could make us certain that the world is holy.