Latest Articles
Century Marks: Voices of 2004
“Hostility toward America has reached shocking levels.”—Advisory group on public diplomacy appointed by the White House...
Apocalypse now: Dispatch from Iraq
Let me tell you about Nadia, a friend and colleague in Iraq. From May 2003 until last April she worked for a newspaper in Baghdad....
Behind church doors: A PBS documentary
When award-winning documentary filmmakers Alan and Susan Raymond set out to make The Congregation, they may have imagined they were taking a respite from the hot topics of their previous fi...
UCC reaps publicity from banned ad: Church bouncers
The United Church of Christ, a budget-struggling mainline denomination often confused with a similarly named church, felt that only a bold regional and national TV ad campaign costing $1.7 million ...
Data bite: "Inflation of saints"
Pope John Paul II has proclaimed a record 1,828 saints and blesseds, more than all his predecessors over the past 400 years put together, a Vatican official reported in December....
Jury defrocks openly gay Methodist pastor: Irene "Beth" Stroud
After one of his pastors lost her ministerial license because she is openly gay, the United Methodist bishop of Philadelphia said it was time for the church to “move on in our ministry.”...
American Baptists walk a tightrope: Controversy over homosexuality
The controversy over homosexuality has consumed our agenda, our discussion time and our energy; yet the controversy still threatens to break us apart.”...
Canadian court OKs gay rites: Nonbinding opinion throws issue into Parliament
Canadian religious groups that oppose gay marriage are trying to make the best of a Supreme Court ruling that paves the way for Canada to become the third nation besides Belgium and the Netherlands...
College to close out "open theism" scholar: John E. Sanders and Huntington College
After escaping an ouster a year ago by the Evangelical Theological Society, a leading proponent of “open theism” theology is being shown the door by trustees at Huntington (Indiana) College for his...
Right to torture: An escalating issue that may torment the U.S. The Alberto Gonzales confirmation hearings
President Bush’s nomination of White House counsel Alberto R. Gonzales to succeed John Ashcroft as attorney general will almost certainly intensify the focus on the use of torture in U.S....
Briefly noted
A fifth Methodist body has joined an ongoing effort to foster cooperation among black and white Methodists....
Smells and bells: Turning to Orthodoxy
On the third day of Easter, I stood in front of the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Kiev, Ukraine....
"More Orthodox" than the Orthodox: American converts to Orthodoxy
It’s commonly observed that converts to a faith are the most ardent defenders of it. That seems to be the case with American converts to Orthodoxy....
Not optimistic: A theology of hope
Give yourself a treat and put Jürgen Moltmann’s Theology of Hope under your Christmas tree. Moltmann published the book in German 40 years ago....
After Arafat: Down this road before
On January 9, 2005, the Palestinians will elect a new leader. Is there any reason to believe that this will lead to a positive result for the Palestinians?...
Lake effect: Not spiritually landlocked
This has not been a good year for Luftmenschen. Before bidding the year good-bye, let’s pay them some attention....
God on the loose: Psalm 29; Matthew 3:13-17
Inevitably, in the course of a pastoral career, one encounters that person—the spouse of an active member, or an avid golfer—who claims not to need to attend weekly services because “I can worship God in nature.” Possible comebacks range from mild to sarcastic, but they rarely make any impression. A better question is whether the assertion is correct.
Looking East: The impact of Orthodox theology
Think of the standard theological debates in Western Christianity: Is conversion a matter of divine grace or human free will?...
Plato was wrong: John 1:(1-9), 10-18
John is trying to describe an event, an advent, an epiphany without parallel.