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After sharing laudatory remarks about Nai-Wang Kwok, the YDS dean invited him to respond. I have thought a lot about the three sentences Kwok said before he sat down again.

Many years ago I was the interim pastor at a small church and was free to celebrate Pentecost without regard to that congregation’s tradition. We decided that it would be confirmation day for the small group of youth who had been going to classes and they wanted red balloons among other things. This was long before I knew anything about latex allergies so red balloons it was. They were tied in bunches all over the sanctuary and there were red streamers galore. It was a day of joy to be sure.  Until a balloon escaped and wrapped itself around a ceiling fan.

Time was when we had a neutral commons where those of us who wanted to say something could say it, try to earn people’s attention, and choose whether to give them our own. I’m speaking of course of the internet—a long decade ago, before social media swallowed it whole.

Williams was at once theologian, mystic, poet, novelist, editor, playwright, and critic, not to mention (possibly) a living Anglican saint.

Harvesting wild greens always returns me to our species' hunter-gatherer roots. Not so long ago, this is what people did the world over.

Analyzing the relationship between faith and the political left—its history and present condition—reveals a century filled with antagonisms. But there are also affinities and technologies for continuing rapprochement. Historically there has been an undeniable antagonism between religion and communism.

Recently I read about a proposal for eliminating e-mail. After all, e-mail consumes time, adds extra pressure to an already stressful workplace, fragments attention, and feels like a never-ending black hole sometimes. One friend says bluntly, “I hate e-mail.” Some have written about taming the e-mail monster, and others have already abandoned e-mail in favor of texting or other forms of communicating. But I’m still a fan of e-mail.

How might Christian communities take up war-making and peacemaking as acts of discipleship?

Sadiq Khan, the son of a Pakistani-born bus driver, became the first Muslim mayor of London despite a campaign that included accusations of extremism....

In Galatians, Paul is confrontational. While we should be more cautious about calling other people "foolish," we can learn from him that tolerance shouldn't depend on denying one's faith, and being grounded in one's faith shouldn't lead to intolerance or coercion.

At St. Peter's, the font beckons Detroiters to wade into freedom—while the bottled water around it brings to mind the principalities and powers.

As I work today, my mind travels to the United Methodist clergy who came out as LGBTQ before the General Conference, to challenge the denomination’s policy which bans the ordination of “practicing homosexuals.” While the number is stunning, I keep thinking of each individual person who has risked their livelihood and calling, for this historic moment.

One doesn't need to be a biblical scholar to recognize the link between the story of the Tower of Babel and the story of Pentecost. The former is the divinely appointed confusion of human languages, while the latter shows how the Holy Spirit transcends that barrier to translate the good news of Jesus Christ into every language. In many intentional ways, the two stories go together, and I'm a little surprised that the Genesis 11 reading is only available in lectionary Year C.

c. 2016 Religion News Service CHICAGO (RNS) “It’s time,” said A. Wendy Witt during Sunday services at First United Methodist Church at the Chicago Temple....

c. 2016 Religion News Service...

No charges were filed against the police officer who killed Tamir Rice. But others are being held responsible: taxpayers.

Matt talks to Paul Scott Wilson, who teaches homiletics at the University of Toronto, about the importance of doctrinal clarity in preaching, why God should be the subject of a sermon's verbs, and how preachers can make that happen.

I talked with her face-to-face a handful of times, not enough to really get to know her. Through the latticework of interconnection that shapes a town, there were others in our congregation who did know her.

The social value we give to caring for other people is not simply a women’s issue: it concerns men, women, and the whole society’s common good.

Our spring books issue's reviews include Rachel Marie Stone on Marilynne Robinson, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove on Matthew Desmond, Lawrence Wood on Mary Rakow, and more.