Latest Articles
Methodist court says no to clergy performing same-sex weddings: Judicial Council rejects resolutions by West-coast conferences
The United Methodist Church’s highest court has ruled that clergy may not officiate at same-sex unions, even in states where such marriages are legal....
Seafarer chaplaincy confronts piracy fears: "An amazing ministry"
The recent dramatic high seas rescue of a merchant ship captain held hostage by Somali pirates stirred a public debate on whether cargo vessels should be armed....
Scene of the crime: Television's longing for justice
Forensics television is more than gory titillation and casual senationalism. These programs scratch at religious itches: they try to see beyond death and long for ultimate justice.
Done in our name: Before we turn the page on torture
After President Obama released memos from Bush administration lawyers that defended waterboarding, Dick Cheney told Fox News that extreme interrogation methods like waterboarding helped the country...
Century Marks
Happy today: When life is grim, columnist Mary Schmich likes to ask people, "What's making you happy today?" She doesn't ask, "Are you happy?" That's a "black hole" of a question, she says, that can lead to equivocation and existential dread. Her question, instead, assumes that there's always something, no matter how grim life is, that can be a source of gladness, however small or simple—like a flower or a bird, a skyline or a full moon, or just a cup of coffee (Chicago Tribune, May 1).
How does Jesus save?
Looking back to history to find yet another approach to atonement will not solve the problem, but a reconsideration of the physical or mystical theory of how Christ saves us might contribute to more fruitful and civil conversation.
God the troublemaker: Isaiah 6:1-8; Psalm 29
Going into the temple of the Lord would never be taken lightly. Still, Isaiah could not have imagined what was about to happen.
A song for the Sabbath: Psalm 92
Most worshipers take the psalms for granted, treating them like background music that establishes a mood but has little grip on the imagination....
Torturous times: The need for a Gamaliel
Human beings give way too easily to the temptation to make our arguments on each other's bodies. The apostles' lives were saved because one learned man was willing the make his argument another way.
Seeds of doubt: Ikon's Peter Rollins
Peter Rollins is a prominent figure in the Emergent church movement in the United Kingdom. Schooled in philosophy, with several degrees from Queens University in Belfast, Rollins is determined to revitalize Christian practice with a peculiar blend of self-critical Christian practice and theory. He works with a group called Ikon, which engages in “anarchic experiments in transformance art” and holds “theodramatic” events in pubs and on the streets of Belfast.
On the shelf: Jesus Made in America, by Stephen J. Nichols
"Jesus, like most cultural heroes, is malleable," writes Stephen J. Nichols....
God the troublemaker: Isaiah 6:1-8; Psalm 29
Going into the temple of the Lord would never be taken lightly. Still, Isaiah could not have imagined what was about to happen.
Church-based hate
Crisis recounts the sad stories of young people who, like Esau, cried for a blessing and too often did not receive it.
How the boom went bust
Paul Krugman is one economist who can analyze the complexities of an economic crisis, propose solutions and make the dis...
Getting Saved in America: Taiwanese Immigration and Religious Experience
That religion is especially salient for new immigrants is a commonplace in the sociology and history of U...
Sacred Assemblies and Civic Engagement: How Religion Matters for America's Newest Immigrants
The landscape of American religion is changing rapidly....
Evangelical Disenchantment: Nine Portraits of Faith and Doubt
It takes a certain level of self-deception to be a lukewarm evangelical. Intense piety is in the tradition’s DNA....
The Soloist
The Soloist is a rarity—a triumph-of-the-spirit movie in which the hero's triumph is ambiguous. It's a movie about accepting small successes and living within your limits.