Latest Articles
Render unto God
Noting that Jesus’ interlocutors in today’s gospel reading were truly amazed at his answer, Stanley Hauerwas comments that it’s too bad Christians have not been equally amazed....
Mislabeled: The liberal impulse
Reflecting on the “disestablishment” of the mainline Protestant churches, Walter Brueggemann once observed that those churches and their members are for the time being living in a kind of exile....
Fantasy land: Civil religion is alive and well
Speakers at the Republican National Convention mentioned God 43 times; speakers at the Democratic Convention, 22 times. One thing was clear: American civil religion is alive and well....
Century Marks
God’s chosen: A Marxist and a Muslim were having a discussion about Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac in obedience to God’s command. The Marxist said that if God were to ask him to sacrifice his son, he wouldn’t do it. The Muslim replied, “That is why you are not Abraham” (International Journal of Middle East Studies, August).
Cluster bombs: U.S. declines to join weapons treaty
In May, representatives of 109 countries met in a soccer stadium in Dublin, Ireland, and agreed to support a treaty to ban cluster munitions....
How to end torture: Five steps
In May 2007 I was at a conference with Darius Rejali, the distinguished torture researcher and analyst. During a break, he turned to me and said, in reference to our own country, “You know, of course, that there are five steps which would bring torture to an end.” First, he said, the rules of interrogation must be clear. Where conflicting directives exist, as at Abu Ghraib, the situation is rife for abuse. Double standards cannot be tolerated. It is imperative that intelligence operatives of the CIA, for example, or the Navy SEALs be held to the high standards—without loopholes—that are required by the Army Field Manual.
Briefly noted
A New York judge has dismissed the first challenge to a new state policy that recognizes same-sex marriages performed out of state, saying the current policy is in line with state law....
WCC team sees vengeful violence in Georgian area: A state of lawlessness
A World Council of Churches team that included two U.S....
Lit-up Anglican churches go dark in green move: Let there be less light
The Church of England is telling its members, yes, let there be light—just not so much of it....
W. D. Mohammed, 74, Muslim reformer: Rejected Nation of Islam's black nationalist teachings
Muslim leaders and community members across the nation mourned the loss of Warith Deen Mohammed, a key African-American figure who worked to unite Muslims of different races to follow an orthodox f...
Florida's Supreme Court rejects ballot initiatives seeking school vouchers: Church-state watchdogs praise ruling
Florida’s Supreme Court has tossed out two statewide ballot initiatives aimed at ending a longstanding ban on public funding for religious institutions, drawing praise from church-state watchdogs.<...
Most Americans believe God can save life—even if diagnosis differs: Divine intervention in end-of-life cases
A majority of Americans believe that divine intervention can trump doctors’ advice in end-of-life cases, according to a new report published in Archives of Surgery....
ELCA membership drops for 16th straight year: Lutheran churches growing worldwide
Membership in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the country’s largest Lutheran denomination, has fallen for the 16th consecutive year, the ELCA has announced. ...
Ex-chief of review panel blasts cardinals for handling of abuse cases: "In denial all along"
An Illinois Supreme Court justice who chaired a lay review board investigating the Catholic sex-abuse scandal is quoted blasting the church and prominent cardinals in a new book and accusing them o...
McCain pastor prays for 'very special blessings' on 'prepared' nominee: Offers final prayer at Republican convention
The confetti and popping balloons had barely subsided at the end of the Republican National Convention when John McCain’s media-shy Southern Baptist pastor delivered a closing prayer bordering on a...
Palin nomination offers peek at Pentecostals: Messages from pulpit not atypical
The blogosphere was abuzz with sermon snippets from Pentecostal and charismatic churches once attended by GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin....
Methodist big-church pastors organize to help UMC: Many have felt undervalued
The United Methodist Church, like other mainline denominations, is steadily losing members....
Flexible megachurches rival denominations: Swift adaptability
Displaying swift adaptability in the early 2000s, America’s largest congregations may be reshaping institutional church life, suggests a national megachurch survey, the third conducted in eight yea...
Calculated blessings: A visit to John Hagee's church
As I pulled into the parking lot of John Hagee’s Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, I noticed that the person parking next to me was dressed in a purple African-print tunic....
Zoned out: Building plans for mosques and temples
In mid-August I attended the grand opening of the new Al-Farooq Masjid in midtown Atlanta, a complex that includes gardens, fountains, a school and a 46,000-square-foot prayer hall with room for 1,...