Latest Articles
Think big: Our dreams are too small
"Make no little plans,” wrote 19th-century architect Daniel Burnham. “They have no magic to stir humanity’s blood and probably themselves will not be realized.”...
Texts of terror: Warlike passages
CREDO: I am a Christian for the reasons stated in the Letter to the Ephesians, especially wherein “Christ is our peace.” I believe that the Bible as a whole (see Second Isaiah) and the New Testamen...
Religious progressives launch new network: Network of Spiritual Progressives
More than 1,200 spiritual progressives gathered in Berkeley, California, in July for a national conference to build an organization for the spiritual and religious left....
Breathing together: Community as a way of life
The absence of community surrounds us in a daily way—in our neighborhoods, our work lives and the anguish of our own souls. The scarcity of community wreaks havoc below the surface of outwardly busy lives. From the ethos of economic life to the chatter of talk radio, our society is busy promoting the appetites and fantasies of the individual more than it encourages investment in the larger aspirations of a community.
A careful read: Matthew 18:15-20
These six verses of Matthew do not mean that if two or three people agree on something, then they can ignore others and do whatever they want.
Lesson plans
Creators of a Bible curriculum used in 1,000 U.S. public schools claim that "The Bible in History and Literature" is a nonsectarian course, when the truth is that it presents a distinct theological perspective. Discussions of science are based on nonscientific literature; archaeological findings "prove" the Bible’s complete historical accuracy. One chapter describes the U.S. as a historically Christian nation and suggests that it needs to reclaim that heritage.
The Aquinas industry
A striking aspect of contemporary Protestant theology is the amount of interest shown in the great medieval theologian Thomas Aquinas, who was long regarded as the champion of rationalism and the “...
American heresies
It is not a new question, but it is one that presses in on us with ever greater urgency: what ...
The Renewal of Generosity
Both doctors and patients are demoralized these days, says Arthur Frank, though neither group is aware of what the ...
The Blackwell Companion to Christian Ethics
This collection of 36 individual contributions treats numerous moral issues from the perspective of what might be termed liturgical et...
The Jesus Creed/Loving Jesus
Two bible scholars have weighed in with books that emphasize love as the heart of our life with God—a s...
Guns
"Want to see my AK-47?"What?! I thought. "Are those things even legal Bob?" He had multiple and seemingly contradictory answers ready. "Oh yeah. It's only got a 10-bullet clip. It's made in China. Plus I got it at a gun show."
An evangelical imperative: Christian unity
George Lindbeck’s thoughtful reflections in this issue on the state of ecumenism set me to ruminating on my own ecumenical experience....
Dance of deception: Blaming the Muslim world
Among the messages of sympathy that poured into London following the July 7 bombings were condolences from the governments of Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Iran, Turkey—all nations with majo...
The terror within: Responding to London's bombings
After 9/11 Americans asked: Why do they hate us?—they being shadowy extremists from the Middle East....