Latest Articles
Music to believe in: What great music does
Reading Jeremy Begbie’s article on music in this issue reminded me of one of the biggest mistakes I ever made....
Between us and them: A Common Word
The most impressive thing about “A Common Word Between Us and You,” an open letter to the world’s Christian leaders signed by 138 Muslim sc...
Century Marks
Big scoop: Americans spend $20 billion each year on ice cream. But according to United Nations figures, over the next 10 years it would take only $7 billion to provide clean water and basic sanitation for the entire world, and another $4 billion to finance basic health care for the same period that would prevent the death of 3 million infants each year (Theology, News and Notes, Fall).
Christian soldiers? Religious freedom in the military: Religious freedom in the military
"What is going on in the U.S. military right now, in effect, is people with religious Geiger counters holding them up to you, trying to determine if you are 'unchurched' enough for them to evangelize you. . . .Our constitutional framers were so careful to keep religion out of the function of the state that they put it in Clause 3, Article 6. . . .They said that we would never have a test for religion for any position in the federal government. Right now, we have overwhelming evidence that tests for religion are happening all the time." —Michael L. Weinstein, author of With God on Our Side: One Man’s War Against an Evangelical Coup in America’s Military
Multifaith mosaic: PBS's Cities of Light
Andalusia, the vibrant, southernmost region of Spain, is famous for its party culture, bullfighting and oceans of sunshine....
God online: Religion resources
As the Internet world expands, the number of religious resources multiplies accordingly. But how to find those that are especially helpful or creative?...
Briefly noted
For decades, the Akron City Council opened its weekly meetings with the Lord’s Prayer....
MIT installs first campus chaplain: Preparing students for accomplishments beyond the laboratory
An iconic temple of scientific inquiry has embraced a new relationship with organized religion....
Reformed groups agree on new global body: "God has called us to be part of a communion"
The World Alliance of Reformed Churches has agreed to unite with the Reformed Ecumenical Council to create a new “global entity” that will form a constituency of 80 million Reformed Christians....
Senator cuts $100,000 from creationist group: Earmark was for Louisiana Family Forum
Bowing to pressure, Republican senator David Vitter of Louisiana has backed off an attempt to steer $100,000 to a Christian group that supports teaching religious and alternative theories of creati...
Ron Paul, GOP's antiwar maverick, has pastor brother: David Paul thinks his brother is on the right side where it counts
David Paul is the assistant pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and never was much for politics. This year, however, he feels as if he has a ringside seat....
Major federal suit against Muslim charity ends in mistrial: Holy Land Foundation
The federal government’s costly and complex terrorism-funding suit against five former officials of a now-defunct Islamic charity ended in mistrial last month—marking another high-profile setback f...
Muslims point to common ground: A Common Word Between Us and You
When Mark Hanson, who heads the 66-million-member Lutheran World Federation, read the open letter sent to Christian leaders by an unprecedented range of Muslim clerics and scholars last month, the ...
Church in recovery: Sanctuary for the addicted
During the testimony portion of a worship service at Central Park United Methodist Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, “Karen” walked to the front and confessed for the first time that years earlier she had killed a woman while driving drunk, had served five years in prison, and had then begun drinking again. “I was a menace to society,” she said. When she finished, she waited anxiously for the congregation’s response. Immediately some moved forward to embrace her; then the service continued and Karen joined other volunteers in serving communion.
Where we come from: A common heritage
Several summers ago, I visited the early medieval monastic site of Glendalough with students and faculty from a seminary in Dublin. The site dates back to the sixth century, when St....
Watchful eye: Omniscience refinements
Each time “someone clicks on a Web page, makes a phone call, uses a credit card, or checks in with a microchipped pass at work, that person leaves a data trail that can later be tracked....
Punctured: Isaiah 2:1-5; Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24:36-44
One of the things I love about the liturgical life of the church is the way that the Holy Spirit, quietly and gently, works on us....
Holy hate: Jeremiah 23:1-6; Luke 23:33-43
They were no angels. Whatever else they did or didn’t do, or hoped to do, they hired strippers....