Latest Articles
NCC fills five revamped senior positions: Reorganization after staff cuts
The National Council of Churches has filled five new senior positions, one month after the New York–based ecumenical agency cut staff due to budget restrictions....
Theologian Torrence, a Templeton winner, dies
Thomas F. Torrance, 94, a Reformed theologian who was awarded the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion in 1978, died in Edinburgh December 2....
North American Muslims issue fatwa against terrorism: Americans have ignored previous denunciations of violence
North American Muslim clerics have issued a fatwa against Islamic terrorism, hoping to build on the just-completed Mideast peace talks and a Vatican invitation to meet with Muslim leaders....
Stem cell advance may not end debate: Long way to go with research on adult cells
Although many religious thinkers cheered the news last month of a breakthrough in stem cell research, the moral controversy may not end anytime soon....
Beliefnet acquired by Fox media empire: Site will retain interfaith character
Beliefnet, one of the country’s leading Web sites devoted to religion and spirituality, is under new management as part of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. and the Fox Entertainment Group....
Large majority of AAR scholars prefer meeting with SBL: Unexpected level of support for joint meeting
In the first internal survey of members of the American Academy of Religion, a poll has shown that between 70 and 75 percent, depending on the question, think it is important to hold its annual mee...
Judas is a 'demon' in new read of gospel: The long-lost Gospel of Judas
When the first translation of the long-lost Gospel of Judas was published last year amid considerable publicity, a few scholars trumpeted its apparent depiction of Judas Iscariot as a positive figu...
Romney speech on faith may assure some, trouble others: Running as an American, not a Mormon
Mitt Romney says that he’s running for president as an American, not as a Mormon, and conceded that if his religious beliefs cost him the Oval Office, then “so be it.”...
Robertson's son takes over CBN: Gordon Robinson
Pat Robertson, 77, says that his son Gordon, 49, has succeeded him as chief executive of the Christian Broadcasting Network....
The religious right in flux: A pivotal year
History books are full of seminal events: 1517, when Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to a church door and launched the Protestant Reformation; or 1973, when the Supreme Court legalized abortion....
A second glance: The image of God in everyone
For several months during my time as a seminary student I worked the night shift at a local mirror factory....
Peace brokers: The legacy of Annapolis
The local public library asked me to introduce and discuss the 1962 movie Lawrence of Arabia....
Surfeit of meaning: Sacred symbolism
Durandus? Who’s that? I had never heard of him until someone lowered The Rationale Divinorum Officiorum onto my lap during a recent trip to Louisville....
With heart and voice: It's not about the song
The singer stood absolutely still. With open-hearted simplicity she crafted each phrase as if she were proclaiming an essential, God-given message. She did not perform the song but gave it as an offering, a gift, an extension of her innermost thoughts. Several worshipers nodded their heads yes with their eyes closed. Others were bent over in prayer; a few were rocking to the music. There was no sound but the singer's voice, yet an eclectic, diverse bunch of people had become one in the Spirit.
Christmastide: A lovely 12-day season
Though the liturgical calendar reminds us that it is Christmastide, a lovely 12-day season extending to Epiphany in January, you cannot live in this culture without experiencing how the air is let ...
Marked for a purpose: Isaiah 42:1-9; Acts 10:34-43; Matthew 3:13-17
Several years ago I was invited to preach on this gospel passage from Matthew at the National Cathedral on the Sunday designated to honor the state of Hawaii....
The eyes of the Christ child (Matthew 2:1-12)
At the center of Epiphany is a mystery of looking. Who looks at whom?
Christmastide
Though the liturgical calendar reminds us that it is Christmastide, a lovely 12-day season extending to Epiphany in January, you cannot live in this culture without experiencing how the air is let ...
The eyes of the Christ child (Matthew 2:1-12)
At the center of Epiphany is a mystery of looking. Who looks at whom?