The biblical figure of Samson has long been understood as a man of brute strength, a warrior on the margins of society whose story is often defined by violence and destruction. Yet alongside his strength, Samson is known for his entanglements with women.
Pope Leo XIV Returns to Tradition
When the monks of Canterbury Cathedral prepared Thomas Becket’s body for burial in the year 1170, they discovered a hairshirt hidden under his vestments. The British faithful considered it evidence of the martyred archbishop’s piety.
Church membership may be declining, but many churchgoers are double-dosing
After Becky Hope left the evangelical church she had been attending in Portland, Oregon, four years ago, she began watching online services at an ecumenical church in New York City — just for a little while, she figured, until she…
Can Anything Good Come of Modern-Day Nazareth?
Step into the streets of Nazareth, the famed hometown of Jesus, and the smell of garbage overwhelms the senses. Along the streets, trash is piled high on every corner; the city government can no longer pay for trash trucks. Souvenir…
Pope Leo Urges Youth Toward Real Relationships In A Digital Age
In a dusty Roman field echoing with youthful energy and hope, Pope Leo XIV delivered a clear and urgent message to over a million young people gathered for the Jubilee of Youth: “You are not a product. Your relationships are…
Influencers invoked the Bible to promote spanking. What about its harmful effects?
Grant Troutt, husband of “The Bachelor” alum and Christian influencer Madison Prewett, enthused on her recent “Stay True” podcast, “It will be hilarious when we start spanking [our daughter] Hosanna — which we will.” Madison clarified that “The Bible specifically talks about discipline…
Football and faith could return to the Supreme Court – this time, over loudspeakers
With the start of another high school football season around the corner, a long-simmering dispute has heated up: prayers at games.
One Holy, Universal, and Apostolic Church—Even Your Weird Denomination
Even as a child, I had an interest in the divided church. Sunday mornings found my family in a United Methodist church, but on Sunday evenings my parents took me to a nearby charismatic church instead.
Holocaust survivors say latest hostage videos recall their own condition 80 years ago
Holocaust survivors say the hostage videos published in recent days recall for them their own torture and deprivation under the Nazis eight decades ago.
2024 Election Post-Mortem: Atheists and Agnostics
My first book was entitled The Nones: Where They Came From, Who They Are, and Where They Are Going. It was published—what feels like a lifetime ago—in 2021. I’m pretty proud of that little volume because it established my approach to thinking…
Put Down the Shofar
One day a student approached me after class with an urgent question. The course was on the doctrine of the church, and we’d spent a few weeks on Abraham, Israel, and the law of Moses. Some years back, my student’s…
‘This is domestic terror’: Shaken by ICE raids, pastors rethink ministries
When the Rev. Tanya Lopez talks about the day in June when she had to confront masked agents in her church parking lot, she focuses on the man they detained. As the pastor of Downey Memorial Christian Church near Los…