Features
Burying William: Funeral for a gang victim
I didn't start my day thinking about gang killings. But then a man showed up and asked about a funeral for his nephew—on Palm Sunday.
Lies: Essays by readers
In response to our request for essays on lies, we received many compelling reflections. Here is a selection.
Still life with winter squash: Notes from the farm
It landed on my patio in early November, a pointy-ended battleship that was more mineral than vegetable. It stayed there as the days got shorter.
God’s dice: Randomness can have purpose
Randomness is distinct from the Greek concept of chance. Conflating the two imports to science the sense that random events are gratuitous.
Books
Political activism and the God gap
Religious polarization among activists and voters exists, in ever-increasing quantity. The question is, why?
Into the dark with Dante
Dante speaks to the uncertainties of every generation, to those who have awakened lost in an impenetrable darkness.
Zionism's theological roots
How does theology shape Jewish democracy, in light of the many competing claims and complex relationships in the land of Israel?
Capitalism and faith: A tangled history
Why have American Christians so readily baptized the idea of free-market capitalism? Kevin Kruse illuminates the long, tangled history.
Departments
The post-anxiety church
We church leaders need to stop fretting about our future and immerse ourselves in the baptismal waters that proclaim perfect love.
Baptism of Christ and Temptations, by Michele Tosini
Painted by Michele Tosini (called Michele di Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio, 1503–1577) in 1565 at the height of his career in Florence, this work combines the baptism of Jesus (Luke 3:21) with the three temptations of Christ (Luke 4:1–...
Harvest in due time
Sustainability is certainly a goal for most church plants. But have denominations set up a model that is sustainable for pastors?
Out of sync
Rectify is unlike any series I've watched. Its slow burn reveals the viewer as well as the characters in the story.
Loaded with debt
Many reforms are needed to make college affordable. The main one, however, is cheaper tuition—which requires greater public investment.
News
Daniel Aleshire, ATS president, announces retirement
Daniel O. Aleshire, executive director of the Association of Theological Schools, announced that he will retire before June 30, 2017. ...
Women don’t often turn to churches or pastors for advice on abortion
Churchgoing women who are considering an abortion often don’t seek the counsel of pastors or others in their congregation, according to a recent survey by a Baptist polling group....
Against the odds, some small churches thrive
A recent report detailing the spiritual, demographic, and financial challenges faced by small congregations meant little to Robin Bartlett, pastor of First Church in Sterling, Massachusetts....
InterVarsity leaders back Black Lives Matter efforts during student conference
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, an evangelical college ministry, issued a call to support the Black Lives Matter movement at its yearly student missions conference....
Ed Dobson, onetime Moral Majority leader, dies at 65
Ed Dobson, a onetime architect of the religious right who later spent a year “living like Jesus,” died December 26 after 15 years with Lou Gehrig’s disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. He was 65....
Mary Scullion, Philadelphia's saint of the streets
(The Christian Science Monitor) For nearly 40 years, Mary Scullion, a Roman Catholic nun in Philadelphia, has spent her days amid homelessness, addiction, mental illness, and poverty.&...
Islamic revival movement quietly sweeps Middle East
(The Christian Science Monitor) Abu Murad surveyed the captive audience in the mosque in West Amman, Jordan.
“I was a Muslim,” he began, “but I did not know Islam.”...
Lectionary
February 21, Second Sunday in Lent: Luke 13:31-35
In December, we lost the last hen in our household flock after a possum attack. Since then, I have heard Jesus’ avian simile in Luke 13:34 differently.
February 14, First Sunday in Lent: Luke 4:1-13
As Luke tells the story, even though Jesus doesn’t turn stones to bread, he feeds those who hunger. And even though he says no when Satan offers him political power, a vision of God’s all-encompassing reign of shalom is at the heart of Jesus’ ministry.
February 10, Ash Wednesday: Joel 2:1-2, 12-17; Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
How on earth do we balance the quietness of our hearts with a public call to repentance?