Latest Articles
Friday digest
New today from the Century: Zombies and the resurrection of the body, remembering the Disciples at Jonestown, more.
The zombie war
Whatever else zombies are, they're a parody of Christian hope for the resurrection of the body.
Silence and Other Surprising Invitations of Advent, by Enuma Okoro
Okoro deflects the usual attention from Gabriel, Mary and Joseph during Advent and puts the spotlight on Zechariah and Elizabeth instead....
Heart, by Audrey Assad
Audrey Assad’s robust voice, which recalls Paula Cole, can climb from gentle to gutsy in the same song—as it does on the opener, “Blessed Are the Ones.” Heart is a sunny pop affair, and As...
The bovine offices: Meditation and milking
Sister Carol Bernice told me once that when she milks the cows she whispers "Yah-weh" as she alternates hands milking the teats.
Diana Butler Bass: Christianity After Religion
As we read about the rise of the spiritual but not religious, how do we respond? Do we think of it as a threat? A challenge? Or do we resonate with the category?
Thursday digest
New today from the Century: Meditation while milking a cow, John Lynch reviews Kenneth Serbin, more.
Lay Down, Lay Low, by the Steel Wheels
This Ann Arbor–based quartet blends a wide variety of Americana styles. The title track is inspired by a friend who contemplated jumping from a high bridge—but turned back.
New Worlds, by John Lynch
With this synthesis of the 500-plus-year history of the Roman Catholic Church in Latin America, John Lynch has furnished an important and intricate piece of the puzzle of the story of global Christ...
India’s original Christians
For over a thousand years, Christian communities flourished in India. Their first real identity crisis? The arrival of European Catholics.
Pope Benedict XVI faces uphill challenge in trying to resurrect Latin
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Reviving a long-dead language might sound like a tall order for a church that's already weakened by widespread secularization and the fallout from decades of a painful child abus...
St. Dorothy Day? Controversial, yes, but bishops push for canonization
BALTIMORE (RNS) The Catholic bishops gathered here for their annual meeting couldn't agree on a statement on the economy on Tuesday morning (Nov....
Fall of a warrior
It’s tempting to view the sex scandal surrounding army general David Petraeus through a religious lens....
Wednesday digest
New today from the Century: India's original Christians, Petraeus's disappointing story, more.
Another disappointing story
David Petraeus's failings aren't the same as his biblical namesake's. No one went to die so he could bed Paula Broadwell. Still, we expected more.
Race, religion and especially age
This election graphic from the Public Religion Research Ins...
Lost In Transition, by Sixpence None the Richer
It’s been 14 years since Sixpence None the Richer released the hit single “Kiss Me.” Little did many listeners know that the song came from a group named for a C. S. Lewis analogy concerning God-bestowed gifts. Now Sixpence has a new album—its first in ten years.
Sunday, November 25, 2012: John 18:33-37
It is the Feast of Christ the King, the final Sunday of the church’s liturgical year. All of today’s passages reflect on kingships—those of David, God and Jesus....
'Scandalous' evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson gets star turn on Broadway
NEW YORK (RNS) Broadway openings often feature a first – the debut of a new star, the premiere of a new playwright's work. On Thursday (Nov....
Vatican convicts second man in 'Vatileaks' scandal
VATICAN CITY (RNS) A Vatican computer expert on Saturday (Nov. 10) was convicted of aiding and abetting the pope's former butler in stealing the pontiff's papers and leaking them to the press....