Latest Articles
Poor priorities: Making poverty a nonnegotiable issue
The Call to Renewal’s “Rolling to Overcome Poverty” project is attempting to convince religious people to start talking about poverty again....
Muzzling a Muslim: The revocation of Tariq Ramadan's visa
Most Americans, including most American Christians, are woefully ill-informed about Islam....
Century Marks
Something about that wall: In 1996 writer William Zinsser and his spouse met with Duong Tuong Tran, a writer, poet and Vietnam’s most influential art critic....
Vicious cycles: The anxious congregation
As I travel around the country visiting and consulting with congregations and clergy, I find that many are caught in vicious cycles. The vicious cycles seem more common than the virtuous ones....
Episcopal Church chided but not sanctioned: Controversial proposals
The Episcopal Church should apologize for stirring disunity, but will not face serious sanctions for allowing an openly gay bishop, an Anglican church panel said in long-anticipated recommendations...
Campaigning for civility, compassion: Three initiatives
Pastor Jay Geisler had grown weary of fellow Christians squabbling over political ideology. He wanted issues put in the context of the poverty and hopelessness in neighborhoods near his St....
UCC official urges new fairness doctrine rules: Countering personal attacks
The plans of Sinclair Broadcasting to show an anti–John Kerry documentary days before the November 2 election “demand restoring the personal attack rule and the Fairness Doctrine,” urged Gloria Tri...
Methodist bishops open D.C. office: Across from the Capitol
The United Methodist Church bishops have opened their first permanent office in Washington with retired Bishop Roy I....
Belated Democrat bid in religious outreach: New Web site for religious voters
Less than a month before the national election, the Democratic National Committee unveiled a new Web site for religious voters, as well as a new director of religious outreach, after some earlier c...
High court to hear Commandments cases: Cases from Kentucky and Texas
The U.S. Supreme Court has decided to hear two cases related to ongoing questions about the constitutionality of displays of the Ten Commandments in public places....
Divestment plan could harden Israel's stance, warn peace groups: Might be the wrong strategy
If mainline Protestant church groups divest from businesses operating in Israel, as some say they might, it could actually harden rather than soften Israel’s stance toward Palestinians, warn promin...
African woman wins Nobel Peace Prize: Kenyan environmentalist Wangari Maathai
Kenyan environmentalist Wangari Maathai, whose tree-planting movement defied political leaders, was praised by Samuel Kobia, the World Council of Churches’ general secretary—and a fellow Kenyan—fo...
Briefly noted
New guidelines for starting Southern Baptist churches ask members of new congregations to affirm biblical inerrancy and male-only deacons....
Habitat leaders reach accord on transition: Millard Fuller will remain as "founding president"
Millard Fuller, who founded Habitat for Humanity International with his wife, Linda, in 1976, will relinquish the title of chief executive officer but continue as “founding president” of the worldw...
Global healer: An interview with Paul Farmer
You’ve referred to Americans as "lazy democrats." How does this assessment describe America’s relationship wit...
Time out: Twenty quiet minutes
When I served a church full time, I grew used to greeting people at the door on Sundays who apologized for not having been there the week before....
Faith in fashion: When faith marries the Zeitgeist
Martha Sawyer Allen isn’t here anymore. She’s off to new adventures.” That line ended Allen’s final column in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune (September 4)....
Monastic mentors: Luke 20:27-38
I would just as soon skip the first part of this Gospel reading. The Sadducees are trying to trick Jesus by getting him to respond to an impossible question about the resurrection. According to the law, if one of two brothers dies before his wife has children, then his brother marries her. But what if there are seven brothers, and each marries the woman in turn? To whom will she belong at the resurrection?