Features
The shape of ashes
To say "earth to earth" is a good thing, we have to believe it's really going to happen.
Why I went to seminary: A senators theological education
Long before I sat in Senate hearing rooms listening to witness testimony, I sat in lecture halls at Yale listening to professors dissect Paul.
Scientists and seminarians: Theologian Lea Schweitz
"Students don't have time for electives. Rather than change the curriculum, we embedded a discussion of religion and science in the classes they already take."
The story we share: Toward a unifying campus vision
How can a Christian college build community amid diversity? Some tend toward relativism, others toward fundamentalism. SPU seeks a third way.
Paying for seminary: M.Div.s in debt
Schools rely on tuition and are reluctant to turn students away. But if debt keeps students from following their call, schools will have failed at their mission.
Young life together: Bonhoeffer as youth minister
From 1925 till the war broke out, it is nearly impossible to find a period when Bonhoeffer was not working with children or teens.
Books
Meeting God in Mark, by Rowan Williams
Why is it that the book of Mark, unlike the other Gospels, is so short and fast-paced and contains so little of the teachings of Jesus and so few miracle stories?...
Incurable condition
Not every ailment can be fixed—or should be. Atul Gawande thinks we need to talk about this.
Contesting Catholicity, by Curtis W. Freeman
Curtis Freeman's book addresses primarily Baptists, but his concern matters to all Christians who live in denominational separatism but are summoned to embrace the richness of catholic faith.
In God’s Hands, by Desmond Tutu
Nelson Mandela said that “Desmond Tutu’s voice will always be the voice of the voiceless.” Tutu speaks with such moral clarity and generosity of spirit because he also speaks for a capacious God wh...
God’s Planet, by Owen Gingerich
Stephen Jay Gould regarded science and religion as addressing different kinds of questions. Owen Gingerich goes a step farther with a more nuanced approach.
Departments
Marked as human
On Ash Wednesday, as we remember our sins and ask to be forgiven, let's also remember what we love and ask to love it more.
Headlands and Furrows (top) and Winter Field (bottom), by Abner Hershberger
The work of octogenarian artist Abner Hershberger reveals the religious sensibilities and Midwest landscapes of his youth. Viewers notice the intentional interplay of abstraction and representation....
Chilembwe’s rising
A century ago, a period of stunning Christian growth began. Africa's independent churches claim John Chilembwe as a symbol of a new native Christianity, free from its paternalistic and missionary roots.
Raise the gas tax
Imagine a tax increase that makes sense to liberals and conservatives, the Chamber of Commerce and unions, truckers and environmentalists.
Muslim neighbors
The protesters carried American flags and signs: “America is a Christian Nation. Muslims Are Not Welcome!”
Epic march
Seven of this year's eight best picture nominees are stories of lone, white heroes—stories that seem out of touch with the times. The exception is Selma.
News
Syngman Rhee, Presbyterian and ecumenical leader, dies at 83
Syngman Rhee, 83, a former North Korean refugee and leader for more than five decades in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and in ecumenical circles, died January 14 in Atlanta shortly after being diagnosed with an aggressive cancer....
Episcopal Divinity School dean to step down
Katherine Hancock Ragsdale will not continue as dean and president of Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, after her contract expires at the end of June....
Ferguson pastor, scholar address ongoing struggle against racism
Pastor F. Willis Johnson captured national attention last August after Mike Brown, an unarmed teenager, was shot and killed in Ferguson, Missouri. Johnson was photographed talking to an 18-year-old protester....
Eucharist at national cathedral celebrates sharing agreement
Gina Campbell, an ordained United Methodist minister, is canon precentor at Washington National Cathedral and has participated in leading services there for nearly five years....
The Layman, critical Presbyterian voice, ceases print publication
The newspaper published by the Presbyterian Lay Committee, The Layman, ceased printing at the end of 2014, but the PLC will continue to provide information and resources online and plans to increase its social media presence....
Historian and theologian Marcus Borg dies at 72
Marcus J. Borg, who for a generation helped popularize intense debates about the historical Jesus and the veracity and meaning of the New Testament, died January 21. He was 72 and had been suffering from a prolonged illness....
French Jews look to emigrate amid rising anti-Semitism
(The Christian Science Monitor) On a gloomy winter’s afternoon, a group of mothers chatted as they waited outside a primary school for their children to emerge....
Duke reverses stance on Muslim prayer
The Muslim call to prayer was broadcast from a small black loudspeaker perched on the steps of the Duke Chapel on Friday, January 16, as hundreds of students, mostly non-Muslim, gathered in support of the right of all students to pray publicly....
Egypt president Sisi bans offensive images, urges religious moderation
(The Christian Science Monitor) Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi issued a decree January 13 allowing his government to ban any foreign publications it deems offensive to relig...
British Jews concerned about future in Europe
More than half of British Jews (58 percent) question whether they have a future in Britain or Europe, according to a survey conducted by the Campaign Against Antisemitism....
Lectionary
March 1, 2015, Second Sunday in Lent (Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16; Mark 8:31-38)
We are still learning what it means to be human, even as we learn who God truly is.
February 22, 2015, First Sunday in Lent: Genesis 9:8-17; 1 Peter 3:18-22
There’s a reason that flood stories are so universal: we fear wiping ourselves out through our own violence.