Latest Articles
Ordinary 30B: Job 42:1-6, 10-17
New daughters and sons do not take the place of the lost ones. As a conclusion to the story of Job, this will not do.
Reality rap
It's hard to watch Straight Outta Compton and not think of #BlackLivesMatter. But this is not explicitly a movie about politics or race.
"You're so gracious"
My former congregation had a generous policy about funerals....
The second visit
The first congregation I served had just under 90 members, and among them were a dozen shut-ins, most of them over 90.
Margery was not on that list.
Farrakhan Justice or Else rally reaches beyond Black Lives Matter
c. 2015 Religion News Service...
Japan prime minister Abe seeks to revive Shinto
(The Christian Science Monitor) Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe’s deep adoration for the Ise Grand Shrine, the most sacred Shinto s...
U.S., Canadian denominations sign full communion agreement
Two of North America’s most liberal Protestant church groups have agreed to recognize each other’s members, ministers, and sacraments....
A woman’s decision
My wife volunteered as an "accompanier" at Planned Parenthood. She found that each client came with a unique urgent set of circumstances.
Unmoved
The state killed Kelly Gissendaner despite the evidence of a changed life. This points to a desire for retribution rather than reformation.
Uncivil disobedience
There has never been a great movie about John Brown. Seriously, hard as it is to believe, no one has ever created a real blockbuster about America's most famous abolitionist. Amazing....
Episode 5: Will Willimon
Matt talks to the Duke professor and former UMC bishop about resisting the temptation to close the gap between the Bible’s strange claims and a congregation’s expectations, and about following a really good preacher into a new church.
Take & read: Fall books
Our fall books issue includes scholars' recommendations of the best recently published books in New Testament, global Christianity and American religious history, and practical theology.
New life from crisis
The decline of mainline Protestantism is clear. What's less clear is what the church should do about it.
On the (im)possibility of communication
There are times when I despair at the possibility of human communication. In the last few weeks, this despair has often been triggered by opening up my computer each morning and discovering a fresh stream of vitriol and righteous indignation associated with a piece I recently wrote about Christian discourse around the Syrian refugee crisis that generated a fair amount of heat (and considerably less light, I fear). So many angry people who seem so resourcefully determined to interpret my words in such bewildering ways.
Japanese diplomat honored for saving Jewish refugees in WWII
c. 2015 USA Today
TOKYO — A Japanese diplomat who risked everything to save thousands of Jewish refugees during World War II is finally getting his due....
Religion scholar boycotts BYU conference to protest university policy
c. 2015 Religion News Service...
Netanyahu prohibits Israeli parliament from visiting Temple Mount
c. 2015 Religion News Service...
Okla. Ten Commandments statue moves to think tank near Capitol
c. 2015 Religion News Service...