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Change agent (Luke 3:1-6; Philippians 1:3-11)
Paul’s letter to the Philippians puts me in mind of the annual ritual of Christmas letters and how much I enjoy receiving them, though I have to admit that sometimes the correspondence can veer off into the stratosphere of braggadocio. You know the type.
Light the candles: Jeremiah 33:14-16; Luke 21:25-36
How odd that the most hopeful season of the Christian calendar begins in the midst of darkness! When we light the first candle on the Advent wreath, it will not be a second too soon. This Advent I feel an urgent need for the light that comes from God, and I do not think I am the only one.
Supersized: Analyzing the trend toward larger churches
Megachurches are increasingly difficult to ignore. By the latest count there are approximately 1,200 Protestant churches in the United States that have a weekly attendance of at least 2,000....
Anxious Muslims
When someone asks me why Muslims don't denounce terrorism, I suggest that he or she Google the words “fatwa against terrorism” (80,000 hits), or name cities in the Muslim world that held major demonstrations against the 9/11 attacks (Tehran, Karachi). Most Muslims do not approve of terrorism. Their response to it is fear—fear of extremists who seem unconstrained by mainstream Islamic law, fear of a son or daughter becoming a "holy warrior," fear for the future of an entire faith community.
Living the Sermon on the Mount
Early in his introduction, Glen Stassen asks why a book on the Sermon on the Mount belongs in Jossey-Ba...
Our favorite war
I occasionally hear parents complain that their elementary school children have ended up studying dinosaurs for several years in a row....
Bridge of despair
In Homer’s Odyssey the Sirens’ song was an enchanting tune, impossible to resist, that lured lonely sailors toward a perilous shoreline, where they would die when their ships crashed against...
Night of angels
The angel said, "Fear not."“Fear not” is one of the standard opening lines that angels use to calm humans when they meet them, but it rarely does any good, and it certainly didn’t do any good on this night. At the first sound coming from the angel’s mouth, all eight shepherds fell flat on their faces. They were shaking and clinging to the earth as if crawling back into the dust from which they came might save them this night.
Paying attention: Time to take action
I was fascinated to learn that New Testament scholar Barbara Rossing was first drawn to studying the book of Revelation because of he...
Century Marks
Gotcha—take one: When member of Congress Lynn Westmoreland (R., Ga.), who cosponsored a bill to display the Ten Commandments in the U.S. Capitol, appeared on The Colbert Report, host Stephen Colbert asked him to name all ten. Caught off guard, Westmoreland had trouble naming three (Chicago Tribune, October 22; interview appears at youtube.com).
Marked man: Defending human rights in Colombia
Mauricio Avilez isn’t sleeping well. He’s jumpy. It’s hard for him to concentrate on his studies. He’s learned surreptitiously that the paramilitary groups in his country, Colombia, want him dead....
Race and romance: A couple navigates differences
Clark and I had been dating for a few weeks when I went to church with him one Sunday. Apparently one of the kids saw us holding hands after the service and was bewildered, because later that evening, during youth group, he pulled the youth director aside and asked him in earnest curiosity, "Is it OK with God that Clark has a black girlfriend?"If you haven't guessed by now, here's the scandal: I am a Christian black woman who happens to be dating a Christian white man.
Textbook case: Bible class in public school
When asked about the Bible course at the local public high school, a West Texas minister told the Abilene Reporter News, “My hope is the end result is they read their Bible and start asking ...
Episcopal membership loss 'precipitous' Homosexuality issues fueling departures: Homosexuality issues fueling departures
After a period of modest declines and gains, the Episcopal Church has suffered a net loss of nearly 115,000 members over the past three years—with homosexuality issues fueling the departures....
Influential dozen seek to help Democrats bridge 'God gap' Reframing America's debate over moral values: Reframing America's debate over moral values
At a meeting of the House Democrats’ Faith Working Group, a perplexed member of Congress turned to his colleagues for pastoral guidance....
Protestant left has 'potential' impact, says scholar: Organizing online a "clever strategy"
The Protestant left “has the potential to become a key constituency of the Democratic Party,” says a political scientist studying the growing number of faith-related progressive groups in the U.S.<...
Court says gay couples have equal rights: Use of term "marriage" not guaranteed
The New Jersey Supreme Court has ruled that the state’s constitution requires that marriage rights be available to same-sex couples on an equal basis with heterosexuals....