Latest Articles
Excavating Jesus: An interview with Jonathan L. Reed
Unless we understand something of life in the first century, says archaeologist Jonathan L....
Eminent Victorians: Debaters with imagination
The new atheist movement has reached its high-water mark, and there are signs that it is starting to recede. Wishful thinking, you say?...
Among royalty: Bishop Brazier passes the baton
In the 1960s, famed community organizer Saul Alinksy, Arthur M....
Rescue operation: Romans 10:5-15; Matthew 14:22-33
Walking on water is an iconic, superhero thing to do. In a mighty display of divine power, Jesus strolls across the Sea of Galilee and then stills a strong wind....
How martyrs are made: Stories of the faithful
One of the teenagers killed in Colorado’s Columbine High School shootings in 1999 was Cassie Bernall. Soon after her murder, reports emerged about how one of the shooters had found Bernall under a table, pointed a gun at her head and asked, “Do you believe in God?” She said yes and was promptly shot.Within weeks of that event I heard a sermon at an Episcopal church praising Bernall’s witness and urging Christians to imitate her faithfulness. Prognosticators predicted another Great Awakening in American life sparked by Bernall’s martyrdom.
Police force
A few days after 9/11, a good friend of mine called to ask me to help preside at the funeral of his son, age 26,...
Mission Trips That Matter: Embodied Faith for the Sake of the World
"It’s happening again,” said the 17-year-old seated next to me on the airplane....
Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace. . . One School at a Time
Greg Mortenson grew up in Tanganyika, now Tanzania, the son of Lutheran missionaries....
The Edge of Heaven
Most of The Edge of Heaven feels like a shaggy dog story. It’s not until well into the second half of the film that writer-director Fatih Akin shows where he’s headed with his tale....
The God of abundance
There are times in my life when I feel like I’ve got nothing to give. There is no gas in my tank. No food in my fridge. I’ve got nothing left to say....
When I can't pray
When I can’t pray I often turn to the end of Romans 8. Here Paul pulls back the velvet curtain of revelation....
Family squabbles: Denominational reunions
When I pack my suitcase for the meeting of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), I often think of the words of 2 Samuel 11:1: “In the spring of the year, the time when kings go ...
Running out of gas: An opportunity for sustainability
Observers of American life have long wondered what it would take to disrupt our love affair with cars. It turns out that $4-a-gallon gasoline might do the trick....
Century Marks
Faith in the media: Newsweek editor Jon Meacham reports that Meet the Press moderator Tim Russert once implored him to appear on his weekend cable show alongside Christopher Hitchens, who had just published a blistering attack on religion. Russert, knowing Meacham was an Episcopalian, wanted him to come on the show and defend the faith (Newsweek, June 23).
Failing on human rights: China watcher Sophie Richardson
China’s crackdown on protesters in Tibet has brought attention to China’s record on human rights—unwelcome attention for the country that hopes this summer’s Olympic Games in Beijing will...
High anxiety: Dealing with critics
Responding effectively to criticism in ministry has been one of my growing edges for many years. On a good day, when I'm well rested, spiritually grounded and in touch with my inner warrior woman, and the planets are properly aligned, I handle criticism just fine. But on my bad days, I’m pretty lousy about staying in my own skin when someone comes at me with a criticism, especially about my preaching.
Briefly noted
The nation’s Roman Catholic bishops have approved, by a vote of 191 to 1, a policy statement condemning embryonic stem cell research....
Bible Society ends contract with president: Chief financial officer on leave
The president of the American Bible Society has been removed from his job just weeks after news reports that an Internet contractor who had received millions from the society had past ties to the p...