Features
The Devil’s Double
The Devil's Double seems destined for midnight screenings on college campuses, maybe on a double bill with Scarface.
Normal Mormons: A "model minority" blends in
Mormons are in the familiar situation of being on the
defensive theologically and politically. But they are also
in terra incognita: they are viewed as
leading the way in preserving family values.
Do you love people? A question for pastors
A pastor 30 years older than I was interviewing me for my first parish assignment. His final question unsettled me.
Pastor as witness: Ministry in the 21st century
"It doesn't happen every day," says Kevin J. Long of Orchard Park Presbyterian Church in suburban Indianapolis. "But it is thrilling to see someone begin to grasp the good news of Jesus Christ."
Another Earth
Another Earth, a Sundance darling that has gained attention by
word of mouth, follows the latest cinematic trend by combining two
genres into one mysterious, if uneven, film.
Hurricane effect: Worshiping through the storm
Most churches in the New York area closed down as Hurricane Irene approached. My circumstance was a bit different.
Books
Young adult realities
Christian Smith offers a way between the idea that young adults are the great hope of our nation and the idea that they are crazed idiots.
Reading Obama, by James T. Kloppenberg
Books on Barack Obama are proliferating....
Caregivers’ calling
My father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's at age 80.
Had I read these three new books, I might have been more helpful to him in that difficult moment.
God’s Arbiters, by Susan K. Harris
Once upon a time, there was a large, wealthy and powerful country that wanted to help a smaller, struggling, powerless country find a pathway into a more stable, democratic, freedom-loving and civi...
Departments
The Dutch Bible Belt
The persistence of a rigorously orthodox Protestant area in the Netherlands must make us rethink our
generalizations about the state of religion
in Europe.
Preaching for a decision
Proclaiming good news ought to in some way lead to a response. Otherwise it can be an exercise in cheap grace.
Ways of remembering
It's been said there are two kinds of suffering: one kind leads to more suffering, the other kind puts an end to it. The attacks of 9/11 were an instance of the first kind of suffering, for they quickly led to more suffering....
News
Mouw hopes for compromise, connections in PCUSA future
Richard J....
At Church of Beethoven, music is the message
"Music," Ludwig van Beethoven said, "is the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life."...
Young evangelicals split over same-sex marriage
It's not news that young people are more liberal on issues like
same-sex marriage, but a new poll charts just how deeply that split has
been carved into the white evangelical community, one of the most...
Interfaith worship doubles in decade, but remains low
Interfaith worship services have doubled in the decade since the 9/11
attacks, according to a new study, even though more than seven in ten
U.S. congregations do not associate with other faiths....
Catholics tune out bishops’ voting guides
Every four years, the U.S. Catholic bishops publish a detailed
statement about how Catholics should think about key political issues in
light of church teachings. And every election cycle, activists on both...
Poll: Muslim Americans lean to moderate views
Almost half the nation's estimated 2.8 million Muslims fault their
leaders for not speaking out against Islamic extremists, but a vast
majority are far more satisfied than Americans overall with the way...
Student of leadership tapped to take reins at Gordon College
For the past decade, sociologist D. Michael Lindsay has been living
the very phenomenon he's studied: evangelicals climbing the ranks of
secular institutions and becoming American elites. Yet in a surprise...
Czech government will turn over seized churches
A prominent Czech church leader has welcomed an agreement that would
allow churches to reclaim land and buildings seized under communist rule
but would require them to forfeit state subsidies in return....
College adds query on sexual orientation
An Illinois college affiliated with the United Church of Christ is
poised to become the first school in the U.S. to ask prospective
students about their sexual orientation. Elmhurst College, located west...
Lectionary
Sunday, October 16: Matthew 22:15-22
According to Isaiah, God has a tattoo!
Sunday, October 9, 2011: Philippians 4:1-9; Matthew 22:1-14
We might Bible-study our way through most of this difficult parable, but what do we do with the guest who is pulled in off the streets and then kicked out?