Latest Articles
Double vision
Romans 8 sharpens my eyes to see more clearly a hope I cannot see on my own. Paul has a way of encouraging me to peek over his shoulder....
Imagining with Lars
“There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus....
Free to believe: Individual conscience is by nature free
The Fourth of July is certainly not a church holiday, but it is an opportunity for the church and the preacher to reflect on the history of the republic, the extraordinary group of leaders who gath...
The politician's pastor: Vetting the minister
It’s been an odd season for pastors and would-be presidents....
Century Marks: Occupational hazards, etc.
Poetic justice: Last winter some high school students in Vermont entered the home where poet Robert Frost spent many of his summers. Holding a raucous party, they smashed china, soiled carpets and burned furniture. Part of the students’ court-ordered punishment was to take a class on Frost’s poetry, in which the teacher tried to connect Frost’s poems to the students’ lives (insidehighered.com).
Witness in Sudan: An interview with Oliver Duku
As a German-trained medical doctor, Oliver Duku was director of health services for Southern Sudan until the government based in Khartoum forced him from his job....
Cutting carbon: A strategy to stabilize the atmosphere
In the last year or so, the data about climate change has grown steadily darker. The scale and the pace of global warming seem larger and faster than we realized even a few years ago....
Briefly noted
A California constitutional amendment to limit marriage to “a man and a woman” has been approved for the November 4 general election, just weeks after the state Supreme Court permitted same-...
Christians hail Nepal’s shift to secular republic: Newly elected assembly abolishes monarchy
Christians in Nepal have joined in celebrations to mark the transition of the Himalayan Hindu kingdom of Nepal into a secular republic after a decision by the nation’s newly elected constituent ass...
Australia exits Iraq, but church urges rebuilding: Spending for reconstruction should equal spending for war
An Australian church leader has said his country should spend as much on reconstructing war-torn Iraq as it did on military operations there....
ConservativeAnglicans say 1,000 may attend Jerusalem event: The Global Anglican Future Conference
An independent, pre–Lambeth Conference gathering in the Holy Land of Anglican conservatives who oppose churches they consider too liberal on gay and scriptural issues was expected to attract up to ...
Churches applaud pact betweenBurger King and farm workers: Victory for Immokalee Workers
Burger KingCorporation has reached an agreement with a migrant workers’ advocacy group that is backed by U.S. churches. The agreement will raise wages for tomato pickers by one cent per pound....
Kenya president seeks to move past violence: Calls postelection crisis the "country's little mistake"
Kenyan president Mwai Kibaki, speaking at a national prayer breakfast, urged his fellow citizens to move on and rebuild their nation, while describing Kenya’s destructive postelection crisis as the...
Faith groups pool funds to aid Gulf Coast: The Isaiah Fund
A diverse group of faith-based organizations has raised $4.5 million for two disaster relief funds that will aid affordable-housing projects, help rebuild small businesses and develop community cen...
Church-specific chapels a dying breed at airports: More chapels adopting interfaith feel
Most of the 30 or so chapels at U.S. airports are tucked in a corner or on a second floor that isn’t well traveled. And most are small and plain....
Peace-church colleges wrestle with having armed guards: Schools seek nonviolent alternatives
In the wake of shooting rampages at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University that together left nearly 40 people dead, several colleges that previously relied on unarmed security staff—such a...
Calvin professor leaves over worship rules: Faculty required to belong to Christian Reformed congregation
ACalvinCollege assistant professor who was denied an exemption from school policy that requires faculty to belong to theChristian ReformedChurch said she is leaving for a teaching position inCalifo...
Ecumenical group limps as two churches cut ties: Churches Uniting in Christ
An ecumenical group of Christian denominations that was determined to address racism inside and outside the church is facing an uncertain future after officials of two of its three black member chu...
Obama: On finding a balanced church: After Trinity
With the added backing of delegates and superdelegates on the final day of primary elections, Barack Obama declared himself the winner June 3 of the hard-fought Democratic presidential campaign, be...