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When the pope says he's going to step down due to his deteriorating strength of mind and body, it's hard to say much more than that about it with any certainty. That said, I found Rose Berger's post pretty thoughtful.

Historians have argued for decades that the Second Amendment has nothing to do with the right to own a handgun nor  even with the right to use a gun in self-defense. Nevertheless, a counternarrative—bolstered by the National Rifle Association—has triumphed in the popular mind and been codified to some extent in the Supreme Court’s ruling in District of Columbia v. Heller (2008), which said that the Second Amendment “protects an individual right to possess a firearm.”

New today from the Century: Faith and evolutionary biology, the Second Amendment's history, more.

New today from the Century: Grant Wacker reviews T. M. Luhrmann, Carol Howard Merritt remembers Richard Twiss, more.

This week’s readings are generally about the faithful. Deuteronomy describes God’s faithful care of a “wandering Aramean” or “Syrian about to perish”—most likely Jacob. The psalm echoes God’s faithful care of God’s own, safely abiding in the shadow of the Almighty. Paul reminds the Romans how uncomplicated it is to come by salvation: it only takes faithful hearts and faithful speech. And we see Jesus’ profound faithfulness as he survives the devil’s temptations in the wilderness. Preaching these texts looks easy enough, maybe even uninspiring. It doesn’t get much more basic than faith.

How did evangelicals develop their belief in an invisible God? T. M. Luhrmann argues that they created a space in their imagination.

Richard Twiss and I spent time meditating and praying together, particularly discerning the question, “Who God is calling us to be?”

It’s time for bold, creative experiments in preparing women and men for the unique challenges of 21st-century ministry.

Ordinarily I don't like to write about Fred Phelps and his family. When a group's main goal is to say hateful things and draw attention to itself, I don't want to help out with that project in any small way. But Megan Phelps-Roper, Phelps's granddaughter, is another story.

One of the hazards of visiting people in the hospital, in nursing homes, and while they are grieving is coming to regard people as the sum total of their needs and deficiencies....

New today from the Century: John Buchanan on revisioning seminary, Diane Roth on pastoral care, more.

It's hard for me to watch as places become a blur for my elderly parents. It's as if each home they've had has merged into one great longing.

A Lutheran pastor in Newtown, Conn., has apologized after being reprimanded for participating in an interfaith vigil following the shooting massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School....

Every age needs an Antichrist....

As gun control moved toward the top of the American agenda after the Dec. 14 massacre at a Connecticut elementary school, gun rights activists began to invoke a curious analogy: the Holocaust....

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (RNS) Walter Slonopas said he quit his job last week in order to save his soul....

WASHINGTON (RNS) Longtime White House aide Joshua DuBois, who heads the White House office focused on the intersection of religion and public policy, will step down on Friday (Feb....

VATICAN CITY (RNS) A top Vatican official blamed the media for "derailing" his recent remarks on possible legal protections for unmarried couples, while reaffirming his support for British and Fren...

The decision by the Boy Scouts of America to postpone any change in policy about gay membership was fueled by an “outpouring of feedback.” Much of that reaction came from a sector with strength in ...

Amy Lester has followed Jesus for decades, but her keen appreciation of his sacrifice on the cross came only recently, when she started eating like the prophet Daniel....