Lent is a time of reflection for many Christians, and each year a host of devotionals are published to bring insight and inspiration to the 40 days of contemplation leading to Easter.
What’s Truly Mortifying
Growing up as a Methodist, the church calendar oriented my childhood around twin poles of Christmas (and Advent) and Easter (and Lent). Advent was my favored season of the two: Waiting with a pile of presents in view is not…
Churches In Eastern DRC Forced To Shelter M23 Fighters As Violence Against Christians Escalates
In the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, churches have been forced to become safe havens for M23 rebels, a Tutsi-led paramilitary group that continues to target Christian civilians across the DRC’s eastern provinces.
500 years ago, German peasants revolted – but their faith that the Protestant Reformation stood for freedom was dashed by Martin Luther and the nobility
Five hundred years ago, in the winter of 1524-1525, bands of peasants roamed the German countryside seeking recruits. It was the start of the German Peasants’ War, the largest uprising in Europe before the French Revolution. The peasants’ goal was…
Why We Still Root for Biblical Antiheroes
As a kid, I loved Hebrews 11 with its hall of famed Bible heroes who lived by faith. I imagined them among the heavenly crowd of witnesses watching us run the race of faith (12:1). I may not have been…
Why immigration will always be a Jewish issue
This past Shabbat, I delivered a sermon at Temple Israel in Miami, musing about my early days there and tying that experience to the congregation’s support of HIAS, formerly known as Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society.
One Of The Super Bowl Losers Visits Trump In White House Before Champion Eagles
Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker visited President Donald Trump on Thursday before the Philadelphia Eagles, the team that beat the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, have yet to travel to the White House for the traditional winners celebration.
More Americans of all political stripes support government benefits for low-income people − and Black Lives Matter could be a big reason why
For all the apparent division over Black Lives Matter, the movement may have had a widespread and positive impact on Americans’ support for policies that help the poor.
Martin E. Marty, religion historian and ‘churchman in the most serious way,’ dies at 97
Marty was a giant in the study of American Christianity and the fundamentalist movement in major faiths around the globe. He was also a warmhearted friend, mentor and pastor to many.
Educators, clergy object to lack of training requirements in school chaplain bill
Public schools could engage religious chaplains under a bill that Republican lawmakers advanced out of an Iowa House subcommittee on Tuesday.
What a liberal Jewish teen learned at a conference of conservatives
“The Rise of the Right in Contemporary American Politics” is not a class that many would think would be offered by the liberal Fieldston School. Yet despite the diverse and educationally progressive climate, the private school in the Bronx still…
What ‘Conclave’ Didn’t Show You: Inside The Secret Process Of Electing A Pope
A papal conclave is a crucial event in the Catholic Church that occurs whenever the papacy becomes vacant. The conclave itself is the process by which the College of Cardinals gathers to elect a new pope.