Latest Articles
Catholic scholar leaves his trustee post after his Obama endorsement: Nicholas Cafardi says he quit voluntarily
Catholic legal scholar Nicholas Cafardi, who recently endorsed Senator Barack Obama for president, has resigned as a trustee of Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio, an outpost of conserva...
Four students suspended over Obama stunt: Confessed to hanging an effigy of the candidate
Four students at George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon, confessed to hanging an effigy of Senator Barack Obama from a tree on campus and were suspended for up to a year, school officials announc...
PCUSA minister cleared in gay 'wedding' case: Event not deemed a marriage ceremony
A Presbyterian court in Pittsburgh ruled October 2 that a minister did not violate scripture or church law by performing a union ceremony for two lesbians, since the ceremony was not a marriage und...
Pulpit protest shakes fist at IRS, public opinion: Alliance Defense Fund's Pulpit Freedom Sunday
Although only 33 churches nationwide signed up to participate in a conservative Christian group’s “pulpit freedom” protest on the last Sunday of September, the planners viewed it as a success....
Muslim group asks IRS to look at Obsession DVDs: "Anti-Muslim" film distributed as newspaper insert
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has urged the IRS to investigate the distribution of more than 20 million “anti-Muslim” DVDs to see if the distributor, the Clarion Fund, has violat...
Choosing to talk: A fourth meeting between church leaders and Ahmadinejad
In the fourth meeting between Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and religious leaders seeking to keep lines of communication open between Iran and the U.S.—the second such meeting I’ve attended...
Back home in Gilead: The complexities and beauty of family
What is Jack Boughton really like? How will he respond to Reverend Ames’s blessing as he gets on the bus to leave Gilead again? Will he embrace the grace and forgiveness of the blessing?...
Nollywood: The Nigerian film industry
As part of the astonishing cinema boom known as Nollywood, some 300 Nigerian producers churn out around 2,000 films each year. Their market of almost 150 million people makes this the world’s third-largest film industry, after Hollywood and the Indian Bollywood. The films go straight to DVD or VCD and sell hundreds of thousands of copies in Nigeria alone, not to mention circulation among the Nigerian disapora in North America and Western Europe. Because videos are passed on from hand to hand, actual viewership is impossible to determine. Explicitly Christian videos make up a large part of the output, which is not surprising when we realize that perhaps 45 percent of Nigerians follow this faith.
Pulpit freedoms: Churches and the IRS
People looking for signs of theological sanity in this land can take heart from the fact that only 33 pastors endorsed a presidential candidate as part of a ...
Century Marks
Mind-boggling: If the $700 billion bailout of Wall Street were paid out in $100 bills, it would amount to a stack 54 miles high. Given the magnitude of the plan, no wonder there is public outrage. But columnist James Carroll noticed another, similar figure: in the fiscal year just begun the Pentagon will spend $607 billion on regular military operations (as well as another $100 billion on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq).
Peace hopes, angry words andAhmadinejad: A dinner with the Iranian president
Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad dined with 300 religious and political leaders on September 25 in New York City, but the event, which drew condemnation and protest, offered far less dialogue ...
Faithful slaves: Matthew 25:14-30
Did the “worthless slave” know the story of the foolish bridesmaids? When they did not preserve the oil for their lamps, the women were locked out of the party....
Ready for anything: Matthew 25:1-13
Elections produce overwhelming hope or overwhelming disappointment. On the Wednesday morning after a national election, one half of the country wakes up disappointed with the other half....
A theological dictionary: G is for generosity
2 Corinthians 8 contains the only New Testament reference, outside the infancy narratives, to Jesus being poor.
Counting down the hours till the polls close
Anxious about the election results? So am I....
Electing Not to Vote: Christian Reflections on Reasons for Not Voting
If there is one idea that unites Jim Wallis and Pat Robertson, it is the idea that voting is a good idea....
The Fear of Beggars: Stewardship and Poverty in Christian Ethics
Why is that man holding a sign, Daddy?” “He wants us to give him some money.” “Why does he want money, Daddy?” “B...
Spiritual Emotions: A Psychology of Christian Virtues
When his family was shopping for a church, Robert C....
Frozen River
I’ve covered the Sundance Film Festival many times and can say with reasonable authority that the movie lovers who brave Utah winters to see world premieres are some of the easiest audiences I’ve e...