As you would expect, I get lots of email about religion- news stuff. That tends to happen when you’ve been in the religion-columnist business — in one form or another — since 1982. All that old snail mail on dead-tree…
What the Bible is
The written documents that constitute our Bible are snapshots of an evolving, developing, dynamic faith frozen in time. The faith exhibited in these written sources thrived in an oral culture that did not depend on written materials. Writing materials were…
Iran: 1953, 1979, and Now
Iran is much in the news these days, mainly because of the conflicting views about the “Iran deal,” which is highly touted by the Obama administration and highly trashed by most Republicans-and some Democrats such as Senator Schumer.
Centennial of the lynching of Leo Frank . . . and the struggle over the meaning of freedom
In August 1913 the body of 14-year-old laborer Mary Phagan was found in the basement of the National Pencil Company in Atlanta. The company’s Jewish-American superintendent, Leo Frank, was eventually convicted of the crime and sentenced to death by hanging….
Politics and pork chop on-a-stick
I’ve been blogging for the last few weeks on the intersection of faith and politics. In the post Trumping Faith I asked the question, “How important is it that elected government leaders not only affirm a faith background, but have…
Pastor, please stop!
By Bill Owen (Note: our plug-in for sharing links is not cooperating today. Please follow the link below to read the story.) http://chchurches.org/pastor-please-stop/ Pastor, please stop! Becoming an effective, emotionally intelligent pastor requires more than delivering a good sermon, making timely…
Is God in control?
How does God interact with the world? Does God directly manage and determine the course of global and human events? Many Christians think so. Several years ago a parishioner who was dying of cancer and had only days left said…
Chipping away at the block of wood in my eye
Introductory word: Family Systems Theory calls for a focus upon one’s self, rather than upon another, when seeking to improve interpersonal dynamics. After all, one’s own part within a relationship is the only part one has the power to change….
Fear, racism, and new knives
Two weeks ago, Samuel DuBose, a black man stopped for not having a front license plate, was shot and killed two minutes later by Raymond Tensing, a 25-year-old University of Cincinnati campus police officer. The event, recorded by the officer’s…