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The devil’s beauty
Like Dmitri Karamazov, Robert Mapplethorpe knows that the beautiful is a battleground—and he's happy to play on the devil's side.
The trifle of communication
In this time of our church history, when going to a service is no longer a societal expectation and people don’t necessarily make business connections in the pews, preaching has become more importa...
After Trump's rise, will conservatives be Plato or Diogenes?
Plato, it is said, confronted Diogenes as the great Cynic philosopher washed his greens for dinner. “If you had humored Dionysius”—the tyrant of Syracuse who had called Plato as an adviser—”you wouldn’t be rinsing greens now.”
Diogenes answered him, “And if you rinsed greens, you wouldn’t have been a slave to Dionysius.”
Episode 31: Emily McGinley
Matt talks to Emily McGinley, site pastor at Urban Village Church Hyde Park-Woodlawn in Chicago, about planting a church for LGBTQ people of color and allies, her own circuitous spiritual journey, and integrating preaching with the congregation’s testimony.
From 'bless her heart' to 'I will miss her'
I’m closing in on my 11th year of serving this particular congregation and more so every day I’m convinced there is fruit in ministry that only becomes possible with a longer measure of time.
For instance, a few weeks ago I confirmed about 30 students in our congregation, many of whom I remember from their baptisms and from their day-school years here at the church.
Baptist church efforts bridge racial divisions across denominations
Pastors Frederick Haynes and George Mason both lead Baptist churches in Dallas, but they did not meet until the not-guilty verdict in the death of Florida teen Trayvon Martin brought them together ...
Unequal dharmas
India's constitution is firmly secular and democratic. Yet in recent years, Christians and Muslims have faced persecution.
United Methodists punt on LGBT inclusion, reject divestment
In an effort to stave off a schism, the United Methodist Church deferred a decision on whether to allow same-sex marriage and accept LGBT clergy....
Mother Cecilia and cloistered nuns release new album of sacred music: Mother Cecilia and cloistered nuns release new album of sacred music
The Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles, in Gower, Missouri, spend their days in silence—except when they are singing sacred music....
Matthew Kukah bridges Muslim-Christian divide in Nigeria
(The Christian Science Monitor) When Matthew Kukah first arrived as the new bishop of the Sokoto Diocese in northern Nigeria’s Muslim ...
God in more than one place
My friend Laura Kelly Fanucci, a blogger and writer, recently lost her twin baby girls. She wrote a blog post about the experience, and then a follow-up as she continues to process her grief.
Can hunger end?
The binding constraint on progress against hunger and malnutrition is weak political commitment.
In a red state, the culture war shifts
c. 2016 Religion News Service
EDMOND, Oklahoma (RNS) In one of the reddest of the red states, appeals to traditional values have long resonated with many voters....
Iran bans pilgrims from hajj, citing safety concerns
(The Christian Science Monitor) Iranian authorities will not allow the nation’s pilgrims to participate in the hajj to Mecc...
Ending extreme poverty: Economist Ana Revenga
"The biggest driver of success against global poverty is economic growth—but not any kind of economic growth."
Why Christians should talk together about Obama’s visit to Hiroshima
“Seventy-one years ago, on a bright cloudless morning, death fell from the sky and the world was changed.”
I hear these words on a bright, cloudless morning on my way to work. They begin the speech that President Obama gave several hours earlier at Hiroshima.
Listening between the lines
My first congregation was a three-point parish in rural South Dakota. Three points meant that there were three churches. Two of them were in tiny towns, and one of them was out in the country.
I lived in one of those tiny towns, in a large parsonage across from the church.
The Year of Lear, by James Shapiro
From our 21st-century perch, William Shakespeare seems more reclusive than ever.
Transgender divinity graduates Adam Plant and Brett Ray share their stories
Three years ago, when Adam Plant began master of divinity studies at Wake Forest University’s School of Divinity, Plant was a North Carolina woman with a desire to plumb the intersection of faith a...