Latest Articles
Other people saying things
"You have never been my enemy. I am very sorry that I have been yours."
"What may seem like good police work, Lisak says, can lead a detective to press victims in a way that yields misleading or false information."
Friday digest
New today from the Century: Ben Dueholm on Exodus International, Rodney Clapp on To the Wonder, more.
After Exodus
Pulling the beam from one’s eye is not an afternoon's task. It takes a whole life of faith—and Alan Chambers's faithful words offer an honest example.
What We Lost, by Ben Bedford
Ben Bedford creates cinematic folk music with the wisdom and depth of someone twice his age....
SBC agrees to disagree over Calvinist trend
Can’t we all just get along? That was the question Southern Baptists, torn between Calvinists and non-Calvinists, seemed to be asking as they opened their annual meeting in Houston....
Southern Baptist numbers drop for baptisms, membership
Annual baptisms in Southern Baptist churches have declined by 100,000 in the past 12 years and last year dropped to the lowest number in 64 years....
Pope downplays threat of Vatican scrutiny of nuns
Weeks after authorizing a continued investigation of American nuns, Pope Francis told a group of nuns and priests from Latin America not to worry if they found themselves under similar scrutiny....
Anglican bishops abandon fight over gay marriage
Bishops in the Church of England, who had strenuously opposed a bid to allow same-sex marriage, have signaled that they won’t try to derail the bill after it received an overwhelming vote of suppor...
‘Ex-gay’ group closes as its president apologizes
Exodus International, a group that billed itself as “the oldest and largest Christian ministry dealing with faith and homosexuality,” announced June 19 that it was shutting its doors....
Cutting good welfare and preserving bad
The money in the farm bill is dominated by food stamps. The debate over it is dominated by everything else. But debate or no debate, the Senate wants to cut food stamps a little, the House wants to cut them a lot more, and now GOP Rep. Mike Conaway of Texas wants to bring House Democrats around to the farm bill by making sure food stamps will get slashed regardless.
God is not my father
Midway through Sunday worship, I realized my sermon didn’t fit with Father’s Day. I had a Father’s Day prayer to use during the pastoral prayer, but it felt perfunctory to read the words....
Thursday digest
New today from the Century: Patricia Appelbaum reviews Geoffrey Plank, why Chris Brundage doesn't call God "Father" (or "Mother"), more.
John Woolman’s Path to the Peaceable Kingdom, by Geoffrey Plank
People tend to remember John Woolman as a heroic individual, both a reformer and a saint. Geoffrey Plank takes a broader view.
Kindred Spirits, by Carrie Newcomer
This collection draws on Carrie Newcomer’s dozen releases on Rounder, adding two new tracks that continue in her tradition of exploring spiritual dimensions in everyday life....
Worship immersion tour: Crossing religious boundaries
Faith House wants people to engage other faiths—not by focusing on commonalities but by entering into a sacred space on its own terms.
The burdens of information gathering
“P.S. please excuse this scribble and burn it as soon as you read it. Good by.”
If you spend days in university archives reading the chicken scratches of everyday folks from the 19th century, then you will run into lines like this. And when you do, your eyes may get big. A request to destroy or keep private a letter oftentimes means there is something juicy.
Wednesday digest
New today from the Century: Jesse James DeConto on religious boundary crossing, Steve Thorngate on the people who don't fact-check David Brooks, more.