For the past few months, I’ve been framing my spiritual life — really, my spiritual health — with a specific image: I am floating down the river of God’s work in the world on a bright pink float that, for…
These are the helpful conversations about religion we need
The assassination of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University is undoubtedly going to lead to a lot of conversation about our identity as a nation, the nature of our problems and how we pursue justice. One of the contexts for…
To understand a faith, first understand the people who practice it
Earlier this summer, I was in Salt Lake City on production for “Undivided,” a planned new TV show about American religions that I’m hosting. In Salt Lake I met with Latter-day Saints, known widely as Mormons — a term that…
Why we cannot disengage from local politics
Elections have consequences. Unhinged and capitalistic leadership can lead to rumors of war, separation of families and reckless decisions that entangle people who never should have been involved in the first place. We are living on the brink of an…
Trump 2.0: Hymn sings, prayer meetings and ‘biblical’ deportations
Pentecostal pastors laying hands on the president in the Oval Office. Prayers to open cabinet meetings. Hymn sings in the Roosevelt Room. Cross necklaces as faith-forward fashion statements. A prayer meeting at the Pentagon. Such public expressions of faith are…
The conversion of a secular scholar raises hard questions
In a recent column, I explored the unusual friendship between Jonathan Rauch, a gay Jewish atheist, and a circle of evangelical heavyweights like Russell Moore and the late Tim Keller. Rauch, a leading public intellectual, drew sustenance and inspiration from…
Who Gets a Seat at the Last Supper?
Donald Trump’s re-election has sent many scrambling for historical comparisons. There is somehow comfort in the discovery (or at any rate the assertion) that there are precedents for even the most confusing and chaotic aspects of our uncertain present.
Politics, faith and mission: A conversation with Catherine Meeks
Catherine Meeks is a prolific author of works on race and justice, including the recent memoir, A Quilted Life: Reflections of a Sharecropper’s Daughter, and one of the Episcopal Church’s most impactful teachers on racial healing. After retiring as the…
The bottom line of my religion: Christian values and practices
Like many others, I enjoyed the fascinating Cold War TV drama, The Americans. The show depicted a Russian couple living as spies in America. After their daughter began attending a progressive church, the mother initiated several conversations with the pastor. In…
Carrie Underwood emotionally reflects on ‘how difficult it is’ to be vocal about her faith
One of the performances during Monday night’s “American Idol” episode struck a nerve with Carrie Underwood, who held back her tears as she reflected on being openly Christian.
Firm Faith Doesn’t Require a Closed Mind
“Should a Christian have an open mind?” When a student raised that question in class, I did not know how to answer at first—I felt caught between two competing convictions.
The remarkable journey of George Foreman
George Edward Foreman’s life is a true American success story that spans from humble beginnings to global impact across sports, business and faith. Born on Jan. 10, 1949, in Marshall, Texas, Foreman grew up in Houston’s Fifth Ward, an area…