Politicians and pastors may share more things in common than you would imagine, but one common trait is ego. It takes a strong ego to subject yourself to a run for public office, and it takes a strong ego to…
What would Jane Jacobs do? Toward a new model for houses of worship
Cities need to prepare for a wave of declining houses of worship. While faith institutions, at least the Christian ones, have been asking What Would Jesus Do? municipalities need to get them to ask another question: What Would Jane Jacobs…
Struggling to believe
I’m struggling to believe. Not in God. Not in Jesus. But in the church. I’m wondering if we’ve gotten it all wrong, the songs and sermons, altar calls and Bible studies, missionaries and seminaries. You see, I’m finding little evidence…
‘Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife’ and other posters I do not want in a first grade classroom.
Editor’s note: This is the first opinion piece in a new series on religious liberty authored by BJC Fellows and made possible by a grant from the Prichard Family Foundation. Picture yourself in a first grade classroom, one with…
A baptism that redeemed us all
During my lifetime, I’ve witnessed the baptisms of about a thousand people — mostly children and teens, few adults. While all baptisms are meaningful and contain an element of tenderness and vulnerability, there is something a bit “different” about adult…
The Christian Right continues its futile but dangerous war of reaction
For a long time, it was clear the white Christian Right in the United States was waging a war of reaction (sometimes open, sometimes clandestine) against just about every social, cultural and legal change that has taken place in our…
Regarding glue, humility and healing
When I was a little girl, my favorite time of the day was when the teacher brought out the glue, scissors and construction paper. Whether making cards for our parents or building a robot out of shapes — it didn’t…
With a change in perspective, a new, more modest standard of living is possible
In an op-ed in the Washington Post, Rebecca Solnit suggested, “Much of the reluctance to do what climate change requires comes from the assumption that it means trading abundance for austerity and trading all our stuff and conveniences for less…
School board battles are back with a vengeance
Over the past few years, MAGA politicians and local activists have made education, especially the teaching of history, a hot spot in the culture wars — with the megaphone of Fox News. In the waning days of his presidency, Donald…
The kingdom of God does not come through the scepter but through the Cross
Public Religion Research Institute is a nonprofit and nonpartisan research organization dedicated to conducting independent research in the fields of religion, culture and public policy. They focus on important issues that shape American culture, religious dynamics, political viewpoints and sociological…
Tom Ascol has the wrong apostates in mind
In a recent article titled “Some Will Apostatize,” Tom Ascol breathes fire and brimstone over those he is certain will desert the Christian faith as he defines it. 1 Timothy 4:1 seems to be the text of his sermonic outburst:…
Going out for coffee and finding nourishment instead
“I’ve got to get out of this office.” I don’t know if I say these words aloud or if they’re just in my head, but on cue, I push away from a computer screen I’ve been staring at too much…