Latest Articles
Francis, ‘cold-call pope,’ touches a lot of people
Of all the novelties that Pope Francis has brought to the Vatican, few have endeared him to the public—and unsettled his aides—as much as his penchant for picking up the phone and calling someone o...
Preparing to read
Over time I have come to believe that the reading of scripture in public worship is as important as expounding on scripture (i.e., preaching)....
End actual poverty first
Perhaps you’ve noticed it. Maybe even on this site in the advertisements.
Makena can’t read the Christmas story.
End Bible Poverty....
Friday digest
New today from the Century: Deborah Smith Douglas reviews Judith Valente, Richard Kauffman on reading scripture in worship, more.
Other people saying things
"When Q service and local B service was restored an hour and 24 minutes later, the cat...
Atchison Blue, by Judith Valente
The changed color of glass is an apt metaphor for Judith Valente's transformation by the light of the Gospels and the lives of Benedictine sisters.
Bully at the news desk
The Newsroom is a great show that presents a noble sentiment. But it occasionally rings false.
Southern Baptists say no to gay weddings for military chaplains
c. 2013 Religion News Service...
NALT alliance says Not All (Christians are) Like That on homosexuality
c. 2013 Religion News Service...
On private school and public morality
Allison Benedikt’s anti-private-school manifesto is pretty entertaining:
You are a bad person if you send your children to private school. Not bad like murderer bad—but bad like ruining-one-of-our-nation’s-most-essential-institutions-in-order-to-get-what’s-best-for-your-kid bad. So, pretty bad.
I am not an education policy wonk: I’m just judgmental. But it seems to me that if every single parent sent every single child to public school, public schools would improve. This would not happen immediately. It could take generations. Your children and grandchildren might get mediocre educations in the meantime, but it will be worth it, for the eventual common good.
Yes, this is a hyperbolic provocation. I agree with a lot of what Benedikt says, but I don’t think that private-school parents—or, for that matter, the many private-school teachers I know—are bad people.
"No" has consequences
It’s been a wonderful summer—our family’s trip to Iona, Scotland was over-the-moon wonderful—but it’s good to be back into a routine. I put my lastborn child on the school bus this week....
Wednesday digest
New today from the Century: How to con a pastor, the consequences of saying "no," more.
Unrest in Istanbul: Turkey’s season of struggle
Turkey may be a model for the rest of the Middle East, but the country faces deep problems. And religion is not at these problems' core.
The power of sisterhood
In Sisterland, Curtis Sittenfeld continues writing about women but not only for women.
Cardinal Dolan yuks it up with America’s ‘second most famous Catholic’
c. 2013 Religion News Service...
Christians in Middle East: U.S. attack on Syria would be detrimental
c. 2013 Religion News Service...
Court weighs case challenging ‘under God’
Justices of highest court in Massachusetts examined the nature of the Pledge of Allegiance in early September as they heard a challenge from atheists who want the pledge banned in schools statewide...
Unsafe abortions on the rise in Africa
The number of botched abortions is on the rise in Africa, according to recent reports, and governments are responding by distributing contraceptives....