Blessing gay marriage
A specifically Christian understanding of marriage doesn't insist on procreation. It insists that marriage mirrors God's fidelity.read more
View ArticleWhy not a eucharistic anti-gun event?
A number of activist organizations are declaring March 15-17 "National Gun Violence Prevention Sabbath Weekend."It's not clear if this is meant to replace The Brady Center's "God Not Guns Sabbath,"...
View ArticleWhy the cross?
Some questions won't go away. The creed says Jesus was crucified "for us," but what do those two little words mean? What good is the cross?read more
View ArticleSunday, March 24, 2013
Some preachers complain about the Palm Sunday lectionary, which puts together the “palm” and the “passion” Gospel texts. One complaint relates to dissonance: it’s not easy to pair a celebratory parade...
View ArticleCatholics without popes
On February 11, comedian Stephen Colbert asked historian Garry Wills if he was in favor of the next pope being not John Paul III or Benedict XVII but “Nobody the First.” Wills smiled and said, “Ah,...
View ArticlePapal powers
Liberal Catholic theologian Hans Küng points out the Roman Catholic Church got along without the papacy as we know it today for a millennium. It was Pope Gregory VII in the 11th century who gave...
View ArticlePrayer for the pope
If we take the Christian story seriously, the pope's burdens are not his alone to bear. They are shared by everyone united with him in prayer.read more
View ArticleCaught in the middle
Nowhere has our callow politics asserted itself more thoughtlessly and noisily than in the politicization of personal or private life.read more
View ArticleAdoption is not a "second-best option"
National Organization for Marriage board chair John C. Eastman recently called adoption a “second-best option” for children. He was speaking to the Associated Press about Chief Justice John Robert’s...
View ArticleWired together
Our brains are wired to allow us to read each other's minds, to feel each other's person.read more
View ArticlePastor as theologian
The separation of theological scholarship from pastoral ministry has led to two unfortunate outcomes, says pastor and writer Gerald Hiestand: the theological anemia of the church and the ecclesial...
View ArticleThe History Channel's violent God
Most media representations of the biblical story are too literal. In the effort to get the story's details right, the storyteller misses the point.read more
View ArticleWith God on our side
Nearly 50 years ago, Bob Dylan romped through a century of American warfare in his song “With God on Our Side.” From killing Indians to developing nuclear weapons, in Dylan’s view Americans acted with...
View ArticleThe Blue Sapphire of the Mind, by Douglas E. Christie
Philosophy begins in wonder, claimed Plato long ago. In The Blue Sapphire of the Mind, Douglas E. Christie identifies this posture as a good place to start for those who seek to dwell on Earth...
View ArticleForgiving Ahab
American culture focuses on the law. But Naboth's vineyard reminds us that a healthy society is about relationships first and rules second.read more
View ArticleNatural believers
Muslims and Hindus have the notion that children come into the world already knowing God. A growing body of research suggests that children do have an innate propensity to believe that a God or gods...
View ArticleThe unmentioned Jesus
I'm the web editor in these here parts, and my morning routine includes checking a variety of sources for hits on the phrase "Christian century." This works better for us than it does for Time but...
View ArticleEthics
A Faith Not Worth Fighting For: Addressing Commonly Asked Questions about Christian Nonviolence, edited by Tripp York and Justin Bronson Barringer. Many people assume that Christian pacifists lack good...
View ArticleOld Testament
The Evolution of Adam: What the Bible Does and Doesn’t Say about Human Origins, by Peter Enns. On the basis of what is known about Genesis, its origins and its subsequent interpretation, Enns argues in...
View ArticleNot the kingdom?
At a conference on theology and politics at Wheaton College earlier this month, a speaker described a world run by economic elites who pursue their own interests. These elites dominate both political...
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