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Earlier this year I attended an ordination service for a good friend....

For a large percentage of students, Salinger can still pack a tremendous punch, and he still connects with the spiritual seeker inclinations that are common among university students.

The recipients of 1 Peter lived far off the grid of Roman power. A people with no social standing, they were deemed unworthy of defending. And yet it is to these people that the letter proclaims lofty praise.

NEW YORK (RNS) The German cardinal who has been called the “pope’s theologian” said fresh Vatican criticism of American nuns was typical of the “narrower” view that officials of the Roman Curia ten...

Like the disciples, I often have no idea how to pray. I don’t know what to ask for, I don’t know how long to keep asking, I don’t know if I am doing it right, I don’t know how it all really works. That doesn’t sound very pastoral, I know. What can I say? I suppose I am, at least, in decent (or at least populous) company when I say that prayer is often very hard for me. What does one do, after all, with the sheer weight of sadness and longing and confusion that so many must carry? 

Late last week, President Obama ordered a review of the specifics as to how the death penalty is administered at the state level. This came in response to the sad episode in which Clayton Lockett, convicted for the horrific murder of Stephanie Neiman, died of an apparent heart attack shortly after a botched lethal injection. The administration’s step is a good one, but it’s hardly bold or brave.

Since two communities—English- and Spanish-speaking—have begun to find a path together in my church, one thing has become abundantly clear: I am going to be going to a lot more parties. Our Spanish-speaking community has parties for everything, and everything is a party.

c. 2014 Religion News Service...

The Supreme Court has declared that the Constitution not only allows for prayer at government meetings, but allows sectarian prayer....

V. Gene Robinson, whose 2003 election as the first openly gay Episcopal bishop rocked the worldwide Anglican Communion, has announced his divorce from his longtime partner....

A story of Christian life is incomplete if it ignores material things. If we reorient our gaze, we can see faith through embodied practices.

You’ll have to forgive me if I’m cranky about Mother’s Day. Once again the world will be draped in its annual pink haze, but I’m not feeling it. One reason I’m cranky—Mother’s Day is another working Sunday, with the addition of a whole lotta cultural baggage that doesn’t have a thing to do with Jesus.

This week’s short passage from Acts gives a snapshot of the Christian community in Jerusalem, including a list of essential practices.

Pastors know that religion and psychology are intimately connected. But what about theology and psychology? Can these two very different fields of study talk to each other? What do theologians have to say to psychologists and vice versa? On May 14 at 8 p.m. EST, the Century is cosponsoring an event with the Center of Theological Inquiry to explore these questions.

My father died about three years ago. As May comes around, the azaleas spring to life, and I remember my father's passing. Just as sure as the tulips and dogwood blossom, my mind wanders back to my dad. Even when I begin to open up to these strange and wonderful stories of Easter, struggling with the notions of recognition and revelation, I think about the last few months of my father's life.

c. 2014 Religion News Service...

The content of Zionism Unsettled does a disservice to the church and damages its ability to play a role in bringing about peace.

I was wandering the halls of my son's school one weekend as I awaited what was to be the first in a series of performances by my teens. The little guy . . . not so little, at 13 . . ....

Yesterday, California Rep. Janice Hahn got mad at a James Dobson speech and walked out. Depending what media report you consult, this was “the National Day of Prayer event” or “the National Day of Prayer observance” or “the National Day of Prayer gathering” or even “the annual non-partisan National Day of Prayer gathering.” Such language isn’t exactly counterfactual, but it is misleading.

"The guillotine is barbaric. But to me, that's a point in its favor."...