Latest Articles
Those left behind
The focused uncertainty of The Leftovers is a parable for our own more diffuse reality. This could make it a deeply theological show.
Mark Driscoll removed from the Acts 29 church planting network he helped found
c. 2014 Religion News Service...
African Christian leaders debate whether Ebola is a curse from God
c. 2014 Religion News Service...
Martin Scorsese directs movie about Jesuit mission to 17th-century Japan
c. 2014 Religion News Service...
Referendum
The debate about Scottish independence fits neatly into the categories the academic discipline of ethics likes to produce.
What's a pastor for?
By far the most uncomfortable pastoral work I do is with people who want help for relatives in churches that are far away. I once got a call from one such relative who had been elected secretary of a church committee and wondered how she should minute the meeting. Worse are the complaints about pastors who do things I have done. (“My brother says they don’t sing hymns everyone knows. What can we do?”)
The church that doesn't need you
It was quite the week at my little congregation. One recent Monday morning, a multigenerational group of teens, young adults, and adults took off in two rental vans, headed for a youth service mission trip to West Virginia, something that's been a regular staple of the life of the church for years.
In preparation for this trip, I spent the last few months in a flurry of doing . . . nothing.
Tell a story, ask a question
Our church started down its bicultural path in the kitchen of the community meal....
Ebola comments prompt Christian backlash against Coulter, Trump, and Carson
c. 2014 Religion News Service...
The Yoder file
The people to whom John Howard Yoder was accountable struggled to discipline him—and failed to deal adequately with his victims' pain.
Mayhem in northern Iraq
In the current issue of the Century, Philip Jenkins writes about the fall of Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city...
Child endangerment
On a long drive the other day, I heard an NPR story about an adventure playground in Califo...
Other people saying things
“Every day, we think that the crisis here cannot get worse and every day it does."...
The Devil Likes to Sing, by Thomas J. Davis
The Devil Likes to Sing is laugh-out-loud funny at places and clever throughout. It’s the story of Timothy McFarland, a student at University of Chicago Divinity School....
Some Nigerians call for banning the hijab to prevent female suicide bombers
c. 2014 Religion News Service...
Islamic State accused of capturing Yazidi women and forcing them to convert, or else
c. 2014 Religion News Service...
United Methodists grapple with Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone
A United Methodist pastor was forced to leave a new mission area in Sierra Leone because of the Ebola epidemic that has caused hundreds of deaths in West Africa....
"The cat's got their prophetic tongue"
The Catholics and the Southern Baptists have joined others in calling for a compassionate response to the unaccompanied minors from Central America. Russell Moore of the SBC has even signed a letter (pdf) explicitly opposing changes to the 2008 law that currently prevents such children from being summarily deported. Most Americans agree, including majorities of both Republicans and white evangelicals.
Yet Congress went on recess without doing anything about this.
Nine things pastors can do besides pray for Gaza
The conflict in Gaza occupies hearts and minds right now. I know you’re praying for peace. But how else can a faith leader respond? So often we feel forced to choose a side. Are you pro-Israeli or pro-Palestinian? The topic always seems to boil down to this question which (reasonably enough) results in paralysis.