Latest Articles
Ghosts of October
For many of us, Halloween is simply a matter of carving a pumpkin, arranging costumes for our kids and then accompanying them around the neighborhood for a couple of hours as they bulk up their sup...
On the Natural History of Destruction, by W. G. Sebald
Once you get hooked on W. G. Sebald's work it is hard not to regard most other literature as frivolous. He is, however, an acquired taste, like single-malt scotch....
Gathered in hope: In memory of Al Ward
One of the difficult decisions, and sometimes compromises, ministers regularly make involves conducting funerals and memorial services for people who are not members of the congregation....
Congruence: An authentic life
"Thinking critically, living faithfully.” In those four words we’ve attempted to describe this magazine....
Your kid or mine? Reaching troubled youth: Reaching troubled youth
The movie Thirteen does not represent every teen’s story, but it does show every parent’s nightmare. It’s the story of an angry girl....
Power outage: When leaders don't lead
What happens when power is seen as inherently suspect and even evil? What happens when power in the church is viewed as bad?...
Where the Bible leads me: On homosexuality
During the fourth century, at the height of the Arian controversy in Constantinople, one Christian wrote that it was impossible to go into a bakery for a loaf of bread without debating the nature o...
A muzzled media: Manipulated into war
The chief international correspondent of CNN, Christiane Amanpour, was asked her opinion of the U.S. media’s coverage of the Iraq war....
Chirping season: Denominational conventions
The season of denominational conventions is over for 2003, and not a moment too soon....
Saints and sinners: Mark 12:28-34
One of these All Saints Days our names will be read. We are the potential saints for future generations. We are the shoulders on which others will stand. Will we be ancestors who sat on their hands or ancestors who raised their hands? Sometimes we forget that we aren’t just living our busy lives. We’re also laying a foundation, molding a future and establishing a legacy. How is it going?
Blind spots: Mark 10:46-52
We disciples of Jesus have vision problems. We sometimes describe our blindness as an inability to see the forest for the trees, but that’s a benign analysis. More worrisome is the inherited blindness of each generation, which so often assumes it is the best generation of all, with no lessons left to learn, only an inheritance to enjoy. We still need the miracle of restored sight.
God and country
Love the Sin: Sexual Regulation and the Limits of Religious Tolerance. By Janet R. Jakobsen and Ann Pellegrini. New York University Press, 175 pp., $22.95....
Poor sports
Reclaiming the Game: College Sports and Educational Values. By William G. Bowen and Sarah A. Levin. Princeton University Press, 490 pp., $27.95....
True to life
Breathing Space: A Spiritual Journey in the South Bronx. By Heidi B. Neumark. Beacon, 275 pp., $25.00....
When theology ruled
Few pastors would dare to announce a sermon series on "theology" these days, since few of their parishioners would tolerate such an intellectual subject. However, E....
Politics and piety
God's Rule: The Politics of the World Religions. Edited by Jacob Neusner. Georgetown University Press, 281 pp., $29.95....
Shock and art
Transgressions: The Offenses of Art. By Anthony Julius. University of Chicago Press, 272 pp., $35.00....
Angel invasion
From Angels to Aliens: Teenagers, the Media, and the Supernatural. By Lynn Schofield Clark. Oxford University Press, 284 pp., $29.95....
Clowns and jokers
Big Lies: The Right-Wing Propaganda Machine and How It Distorts the Truth. By Joe Conason. St. Martin's, 240 pp., $24.95...
Grace before meals
The Power of God at Home: Nurturing Our Children in Love and Grace. By J. Bradley Wigger. Jossey-Bass, 195 pp., $19.95....