By Carra Hughes Greer I am a regular viewer of several reality shows including “Sixteen and Pregnant,” “Teen Mom” and now “Teen Mom 2.” I have been asked by many youth parents whether they should allow their teenagers to watch…
Laughter amid tears
By David Wilkinson Talk about mixed feelings. On April Fool’s Day we published, in the tradition of National Public Radio, a “news story” by senior writer Bob Allen with the headline, “‘God Hates Fags’ church apologizes.” Except for a lot…
Listening to Rob Bell (and/or Jesus?)
By Bill Leonard These days simply say the words “Rob Bell” where two or three are gathered together and you provoke immediate conversation, if not controversy. Bell, a popular writer and founding pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand…
Fiscal responsibility, with moral sanity
By David Gushee Progressive activists, including some of my Christian friends, have staged hunger strikes to dramatize their objections to proposed budget cuts in Congress that would affect the poor. I care deeply about such cuts, but I have not…
A new ministerial role
By Bill Wilson For centuries the church has taken Ephesians 4 to heart and suggested that there are five primary roles for a minister to fulfill. Modern ministers are expected to embody these roles as needed and with a significant…
Holy Week hope
By R. Kevin Johnson During the past few weeks, Christian churches around the world have been engaging the scriptures during Lent. This season will lead to the commemoration of Jesus’ death and burial, and to the celebration of his divine…
Counting the days
By Brett Younger When I was in the seventh grade a white-suited evangelist guaranteed that Jesus would be back in less than five years. Every 13-year-old boy at church that night had the same thought: “I will never get to…
Meatless and mindful
By Amy Butler Perhaps this only occurs in pastors’ households, but there has been a lot of recent conversation in my house about giving things up for Lent: What one considered giving up for Lent, what one decided to give…
Why terrorism is getting worse
By Jim Denison “Despite nearly a decade of war, al Qaeda is stronger today than when it carried out the 9/11 attacks.” So begins Leah Farrall’s fascinating article in the current edition of Foreign Affairs. Farrall is former senior counterterrorism…