Latest Articles
The Devil’s Double
The Devil's Double seems destined for midnight screenings on college campuses, maybe on a double bill with Scarface.
Sunday, October 9, 2011: Philippians 4:1-9; Matthew 22:1-14
We might Bible-study our way through most of this difficult parable, but what do we do with the guest who is pulled in off the streets and then kicked out?
Dead Sea Scrolls now available online
JERUSALEM (RNS) Five of the Dead Sea Scrolls that have been stored for
decades in a climate-controlled exhibit at the Israel Museum in...
Update: Church/jail sentencing program under review
BAY MINETTE, Ala. (RNS) An alternative sentencing plan that would give
inmates the choice between time in jail or a year in church will be...
Synagogues adjust ticket policies for High Holy Days
(RNS) The sputtering economy is fueling changes in synagogues' ticketing
policies and marketing strategies for their annual High Holy Days
services.
...
TV's favorite serial killer finds religion
(RNS) That whole "Thou shalt not kill" part of the Ten Commandments
seems pretty clear -- except maybe to Dexter Morgan, the beloved serial...
Christians outraged as BBC drops B.C./A.D. dating method
LONDON (RNS) British Christians are incensed after the state-funded BBC
decided to jettison the terms B.C. and A.D. in favor of B.C.E. and C.E.
in historical date references.
...
Is Constantinianism all bad?
"Constantinian" has lately been a favored pejorative in
theological circles. The term--an allusion to the fourth-century Roman emperor...
Why appeal to conscience when you can misrepresent the church instead?
Candidate John F. Kennedy: If
the time should ever come--and I do not concede any conflict to be remotely
possible--when my office would require me to either violate my conscience or
violate the national interest, then I would resign the office.
Caregivers’ calling
My father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's at age 80.
Had I read these three new books, I might have been more helpful to him in that difficult moment.
Normal Mormons: A "model minority" blends in
Mormons are in the familiar situation of being on the
defensive theologically and politically. But they are also
in terra incognita: they are viewed as
leading the way in preserving family values.
Rob Bell isn't first megachurch pastor to seek life beyond the pulpit
(RNS) For pastors with ambitions to reach huge audiences, there's often
no better platform than the megachurch, which has given rise to...
Suicide bomber attacks packed Indonesian church
Wellington, New Zealand, September 26 (ENInews)--A suicide bomber blew himself up on the porch of an Indonesian church packed with hundreds of worshippers on 25 September, injuring 28 people, some ...
Catholic anti-abortion group in financial trouble
(RNS) A leading Catholic anti-abortion group whose leader is under
scrutiny for failing to disclose financial details reported a $1.4...
Muslim students vow appeal in free speech conviction
LOS ANGELES (RNS) A group of Muslim students who were convicted Friday
(Sept. 23) of disrupting a speech by the Israeli ambassador plan to...
Amnesty International slams Irish Catholic Church on abuse
VATICAN CITY (RNS) A new report by the Irish branch of Amnesty
International says the sexual abuse of children by Ireland's Roman...
Criminals in Ala. offered choice between pews and the pokey
BAY MINETTE, Ala. (RNS) A new alternative sentencing program that offers
first-time, nonviolent offenders a choice of a year in church or jail...
Striving, or not
Texts about "striving" make me itch. They bring to mind our own cultural commitments to speak about lifting ourselves by our own bootstraps to reach high goals.