By Elizabeth Evans Hagan First Corinthians 6:11-20 can be the preacher’s worst nightmare — a passage full of directives about sex, food and all things bodily. Yet, I chose it as part of a six-part series about God’s calling on…
Sex and covenant conference a rare opportunity
By David Gushee One reason to register now is because we are planning “covenant community groups” as our means of organizing conversations after each plenary session. These small groups will be led by trained facilitators. We need to know as…
Baptists, atheists share common story
By Zachary Bailes The New York Times shares the story of Jessica Ahlquist, 16, who lives in Cranston, R.I., enjoys Harry Potter, and is an atheist. She also happens to be on the winning side of a lawsuit against the…
What is good preaching?
By Amy Butler This week I began teaching a preaching practicum at a local seminary. As a place to start, my students received and turned in the assignment of a short reflection paper on one of my favorite topics, “What…
Winning with racism
By Laura Rector Somewhere in a closet at my parents’ house in Kentucky hangs a George H.W. Bush shirt from my high school days. On one occasion in my early 20s, I skipped church to pass out flyers with Right…
America is drunk
By Jim Denison Ablow cites new data from the Centers for Disease Control revealing that one in six Americans downs eight mixed drinks within a few hours, four times a month. Twenty-eight percent of young people between the ages of…
Can conservatives welcome the stranger?
By Zachary Bailes As GOP presidential candidates make their final plea in South Carolina, and as one Texas governor resigns from the race, Christian evangelicals are making their rounds for endorsement. James Dobson and the Family Research Council endorse Rick…
Somebody’s daughter
By Derik Hamby I was at my daughter’s school when her teacher asked, “Did you see what your daughter wrote? All the teachers are coming down to read it.” My daughter is 7 years old and in the first grade…
Blessed irony
By Bill Leonard After all, Joseph Smith, the prophet/founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had been gunned down in Carthage, Ill., 13 years earlier, the same year he declared his candidacy for president of the U.S….
Can anything new be said about abortion?
By David Gushee The Roe v. Wade anniversary with its ritual marches of protest and defense occurs this year amidst our quadrennial election carnival. Our elections now seem to require that contending politicians seek to outdo one another in ideological…
Embracing forgiveness
By Rabbi Rami Shapiro New Year’s Day is over. Have you broken your resolutions yet? If you’re like me, the answer to that question is “yes,” so this is a good time to think about forgiveness. Forgiveness isn’t a skill…
We say no, again
By Ken Sehested On the first Sunday in Lent in 2007, when tensions between the United States and Iran were escalating, Circle of Mercy Congregation unanimously adopted a statement opposing an attack on Iran. With the recent assassination of another…