Features
These UMC deacons are more like doulas than circuit riders
A church is fighting back against the Atlantic Coast Pipeline
A woman’s place—at the mosque
How white supremacist groups are targeting online gamers
A pastoral encounter with abortion I’ll never forget
Books
Literary faith from Dostoevsky to Marilynne Robinson
Poetry and fiction grant us glimpses of God.
Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah’s short stories reveal the insanity and violence of our society
Evoking the murders of unarmed black men, this collection is meant to appall us.
What greed looks like
The roots of our desire for money, pleasure, and power reach back to the Enlightenment.
Elaine Pagels’s lifelong search for the sacred
Pagels vividly recounts her spiritual experiences. But she won’t let herself be bound by any tradition.
Departments
Can a fleabag clean up her act?
Conversion of the Magdalene, by Artemisia Gentileschi (1593–1652/53)
Do gentle people need to toughen up?
Why did I go to a charismatic worship service in an arena?
Law is too blunt an instrument for the complex realities of abortion
News
United Arab Emirates bills itself as interfaith leader
The UAE, a financial powerhouse and growing power in the Arab world, is committed to showing Western allies that all are welcome to worship there.
Giving to religious groups down slightly, according to new report
One shift was a drop in number of people itemizing tax deductions, the Giving USA report on philanthropy noted.
Leah Gaskin Fitchue, a trailblazer in theological education, dies at age 78
As president of Payne Theological Seminary from 2003 to 2015, she was the first African American woman to lead a seminary belonging to the Association of Theological Schools.
Dean Obeidallah wins lawsuit against neo-Nazi website
The Muslim comedian and radio host pledged to donate any money he receives in damages to activists countering hate groups.
Mohamed Morsi, Muslim Brotherhood ‘party consensus candidate’ in Egypt, dies after six years in jail
Egypt’s first freely elected president failed to allay fears his party was laying the groundwork for theocracy.
Southern Baptists make changes to address sexual abuse and racism
In February, the Houston Chronicle and the San Antonio Express-News published a joint investigation of sexual misconduct allegations against some 380 current and former Southern Baptist ministers and volunteers.
Quebec law bans symbols of faith in public sector
Canada, unlike the US, does not have a bill of rights explicitly endorsing freedom of religion.
US Catholic bishops revise policies for abuse cases, but laity input not required
Victims’ advocates say stronger measures are needed.