By David Gushee It’s all over but the shouting. Millions have already voted, and the retrospectives on the 2008 presidential election are already beginning. Some of these will involve reflection on the way that faith played out in this election…
Opinion: Friendship as a gift from God
The other day my son was talking to me about the playground antics of a little girl named Candace. It was obvious that Candace was quite a live wire and that he found her extremely amusing. As the stunts she…
Friendship as a gift from God
By Beth Newman The other day my son was talking to me about the playground antics of a little girl named Candace. It was obvious that Candace was quite a live wire and that he found her extremely amusing. As…
Dark fears endanger America
By David Gushee The last two weeks of a presidential-election campaign are not likely to mark a high point in rationality and love. But still, one cannot help but be deeply disturbed by the dark divisions that descend on this…
Remembering how to be Jesus’ people
By David Gushee This morning I was reading in 1 Peter 2, “Rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk.” Think of every political ad you…
Toward a more mature Christian vote
By David Gushee The United States is in trouble. Even our presidential candidates, trained to project confidence and strength, now admit that we face profound challenges. Everyone agrees that we are in the worst financial crisis since the Depression. Our…
God-talk and conservative politics
By David Gushee Every so often, conservative evangelical politicians, military officials, or ministers are quoted describing the outcome of an election, the actions of the United States, or the deeds of its president or its troops as if they are…
Being a people of the Word
By Beth Newman Who was the sage who observed that “no matter how cynical you become, it’s impossible to keep up?” The latest example of this particular eternal verity is the procession of the secretary of the Treasury Department, the…
The gender debate is ultimately about Jesus
By David Gushee Last Monday (Sept. 15), I published an article in USA Today that has bounced around the blogosphere evoking intense reaction ever since. The argument of the article was that Sarah Palin’s nomination for vice president, and the…
Torture: Our first major 21st-century scandal
By David Gushee The week of Sept. 11, 2008, I had the privilege of hosting a national summit on torture at Mercer University in Atlanta. (To learn more about the program called “Religious Faith, Torture, and Our National Soul,” and…
On morality and our faltering economy
By Benjamin Cole America faced an unprecedented challenge requiring military intervention halfway around the globe. Russia was recalcitrant in the face of international diplomatic pressure, and rogue South American dictators scoffed at democratic reforms. Africa suffered the stresses of modernization….
The Trinity and other concrete things
By Beth Newman Being a teacher of theology has given me a rather distorted sense of priorities. I suppose that whatever one’s line of work is, though, it will cause some such skewing. My husband once worked in a shop…