As Muslims struggle cope with shooting deaths of an imam and his assistant in New York City, some non-Muslims are offering to walk beside their Muslim neighbors to and from the mosque.
The Watchmen: What became of the Christian intellectuals?
Half a century ago, such figures existed in America: serious Christian intellectuals who occupied a prominent place on the national stage. They are gone now.
Relax your grip and you can go for miles
For most of my vocational life I’ve had to do battle with the overwhelming need to prove myself. This may have something to do with where I land on the Enneagram. As my fellow Threes will testify, “I succeed, therefore…
Genius hesitates, both in science and religion
In his fantastic little book, Seven Lessons on Modern Physics, a kind of primer on modern physics meant for lay readers, Carlo Rovelli tells the story about how in 1905, a 26-year-old graduate student named Albert Einstein published three short…
Bluefield scholar seeks to take a bite out of interfaith tensions
Anti-Islamic sentiment is driving U.S. and European politics while religious hatred fuels world terrorism. Rob Merritt sees the roots of that animosity. “Most of the global conflict we see today has to do with religious controversy,” says Merritt, dean of the…
Church playground dispute erupts into battle over separation of church and state
A church playground in Missouri has become the battleground for the next big religious liberty case coming before the U.S. Supreme Court. This fall the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Trinity Lutheran of Columbia v. Pauley, a case…
To Clinton and Trump, it’s all about the middle class. To Jesus, it’s about the poor.
American politicians claim to prioritize the middle class. But Christians who seek to let their faith shape their public engagement must recognize that the Bible does not.
Listen to what the campaign soundtracks tell us about our spirituality
What are the hymns, psalms, and spiritual songs of this civil spirituality? This year’s general election is providing a rich soundscape for discovering just what they might be.
Most states allow religious exemptions from child abuse and neglect laws
All states prosecute parents whose children come to severe harm through neglect. But in 34 states, there are exemptions when medical treatment for a child conflicts with the religious beliefs of parents.
Can Baptists be both committed to the message of Christ and active in political matters?
Jeremiah tells the people of the Babylonian Exile that God is calling them to settle in the region. “Go ahead and get married. Buy a house. Join the PTA, the YMCA, a local church.” Essentially, Jeremiah says, “Be all in. Hold nothing back.”
What if we ‘promoted’ in adult Sunday school again?
Decades ago, even among churches that retained adult Sunday school, we adults stopped promoting. More accurately, we adults refused to keep promoting. We put down our feet and said we would not move any more. We wanted to stay where we were.
Young people are tithing — but not to churches alone, researchers say
The idea of counting gifts to nonprofits other than a house of worship is a difficult concept for some church members to grasp. But congregations may have to come to grips with the concept and with the idea that younger generations tend to view tithing in broad terms.
The spiritual is political
The physical is already illuminated with the presence of the sacred. If we care about the spirit, we cannot avoid concern with the here and now.
Largest for-profit Christian college to open seminary this fall
The country’s best-known Christian for-profit college, Grand Canyon University, has announced that it will open an independent, non-denominational, for-profit theological seminary this fall.