Is Jesus liberal or conservative? Let’s turn to science to help answer that question, through a study by Jer Clifton and Nick Kerry at the University of Pennsylvania. They have continued surveying the underlying beliefs that separate liberals and conservatives….
When political leadership uses religion as a tool of power
One of the most troubling trends in modern leadership is the growing use of religion as a political instrument. The practice is not new. Political leaders, especially where democratic institutions are weak, have learned that religion reaches people at the…
What The Dr. Daf Show reveals
Scroll through YouTube and you will find them — the “1 vs. 20” debates hosted by Michelle Daf on The Dr. Daf Show. One atheist, one Muslim, one New Age adherent sit across from 20 Christian women, and for five…
In a year of faith-talking Democrats, a Muslim candidate speaks up
James Talarico isn’t the only Democratic candidate making faith a calling card of his campaign this year. In Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed will face Haley Stevens in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Aug. 4. In a fundraising letter this week,…
‘Church Hurt’ Is A Very Real Thing. Here’s What Experts Want You To Know About It.
There are many reasons why someone might leave a particular faith ― or the concept of organized religion in general. Theological disagreements, life changes, a slow drift away from belief or a single breaking-point moment can all play a role.
‘A mighty lick with a crooked stick,’ or how James Robison changed my life
News of James Robison’s death reminded me of one of the most powerful transitions in my life. When I was growing up in Texas back in the ’70s, Robison was a larger-than-life regional evangelist. He developed quite a reputation for…
Most Americans see Trump as ‘not religious’
President Donald Trump is either “not too religious” or “not religious at all,” according to 70% of U.S. adults polled this month by Pew Research Center. “At the same time, many Republicans and white evangelical Protestants say Trump stands up…
Resurrection’s joy ascends, but so, too, its detractors
For many years the joy of Easter Sunday’s resurrection observance has been contested by the continuing powers of death. Easter’s portable feast (due to its lunar calculation) means it typically falls in the vicinity of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s execution by the…
In conversation with my grandmother
This wasn’t the In Conversation I thought I would sit down and write this week. I did not plan to interview my grandmother from a hospital chair. The room was quiet in the way hospital rooms often are — machines…
Confessional Christianity and the choice Jesus offers
If you were listening to R&B in the early 1990s, especially in Cleveland, you may recall Chris Bender’s hit song “Who Will I Choose?” In the song Chris has a dilemma, he has two love interests contending for his heart….
Trading the Cross for a cause
Many moderate and progressive-minded Christians are trying to live our faith in the most actionable way possible. We want a church that takes suffering seriously, tells the truth about injustice, shows up for neighbors and looks like Jesus in public….
Is Scott Adams in heaven?
‘Dilbert’ cartoonist Scott Adams died Jan. 13 after a short battle with prostate cancer. Adams was known for his wry satire of white-collar office life through his long-running comic strip, which appeared in 2,000 newspapers in at least 70 countries…