(OPINION) Marty died on Feb. 25 at the age of 97, a quarter of a century after retiring from teaching at the University of Chicago Divinity School. The research center he launched in 1979 was then rebranded as the Martin Marty Center for the Public Understanding of Religion. He received numerous other awards, including more than 80 honorary degrees.
Read More(OPINION) The unprecedented success of the radical-right AfD has left many questioning whether we are witnessing Germany take a dangerous turn once again. In the Feb. 23 Bundestag election, the AfD achieved its best result to date, becoming the second strongest party in the Bundestag. The election campaign was largely dominated by key AfD topics such as migration policy and the deportation debate.
Read More(OPINION) Suffering indeed is our common language. Regardless of your age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, politics or marital status, every person reading this column has suffered. If somehow you haven’t yet, you will. This may be the greatest impediment to believing in a loving, all-powerful God.
Read More(OPINION) For several years now, it’s felt like the whole world has gone mad. Trying to keep track of, much less digest, the daily flood of outrageous news stories and hair-on-fire op-ed pieces curdles my mind, steals my joy and leaves me staring gape-mouthed into a tsunami of chaos. But I happened across two articles that helped me rethink my news avoidance.
Read More(OPINION) The Buddha didn’t suggest that monks and nuns become society’s moral police, dictating correct behavior and enforcing his rules. Rather, by living simply within his guidelines and refraining from harm, monastic communities can exemplify ethical living. By deliberately cultivating equanimity, love, compassion and empathic joy, they could inspire others to do the same.
Read More(OPINION) It might be surprising to hear that clergy are among the happiest and most fulfilled employees. Being a minister isn’t an easy job, for sure. Some preachers get burned out. I’ve been burned out at times myself. But dig a bit deeper into the data and these high-satisfaction numbers aren’t so surprising.
Read More(OPINION) It’s gratifying to see new government policies which align with God’s creational order, yet this is not the end of our witness on this issue. Our churches should both be eager to declare what is good and true and beautiful about biblical masculinity and femininity and read to help those who struggle with gender dysphoria find hope in the Gospel and the resurrection of the body at the end of the age.
Read More(OPINION) Trump’s ideas, however fantastical, would reshuffle the deck completely. How exactly he might intend for the U.S. to take over management of the territory and rebuild it “magnificently,” is unclear. Even more unclear: Who, exactly, would benefit from this dubiously thought out plan?
Read More(OPINION) I still believe almost 50 years later that my father was divinely healed. I was there. I saw it. But I also believe that what happened to him was a once-in-a-thousand-prayers miracle. A miracle of biblical proportions. It was not the norm.
Read More(OPINION) Vandalism won’t stop us from serving great food — and, with it, joy, connection and unity.
Read More(OPINION) Churches, temples and other religious organizations often employ experienced, highly skilled people — talented employees who could otherwise find work in the private sector but are called to service by their faith and belief in their community’s mission and values. These employees will often compromise on salary to do meaningful work, but they do expect adequate benefits and health care. For church leaders — often under pressure to keep a close eye on expenses — finding and paying for health care can be the most stressful part of the job.
Read More(OPINION) This past summer, still in her 50s, Vickie fell ill with what turned out to be advanced ovarian cancer. Surgery didn’t help. Chemo didn’t help. The cancer just kept coming. That’s when truly remarkable things started happening.
Read More(OPINION) I have one bit of advice for all those people fuming over Elon Musk’s hand gestures: Stop. I know it’s tough to resist the temptation to go into full outrage mode over the apparent Nazi gesture Musk made during an Inauguration Day speech at Washington, D.C.’s Capital One Arena. A lot of energy has gone into parsing Musk’s gesture, and attacking those who don’t see it your way.
Read More(OPINION) Some of historian Tom Holland’s insights are surprising, including his contention that modern developments — including the transgender rights movement and a recent spike in atheism — probably wouldn’t exist were it not for the West’s Christian philosophical and moral foundations.
Read More(OPINION) The first vote I ever cast was against Jimmy Carter in the 1976 presidential election. I was 20 and in college, trying to leave behind my strict Southern Baptist upbringing. Carter seemed to embody much of what I hoped to escape. It took me a while to realize how mistaken I’d been about the man.
Read More(OPINION) It is seldom that one enters a film that resonates with one own’s life. For me, “The Brutalist” is such a film. It combines the themes of the Holocaust, Israel, immigration, capitalism, architecture, and the struggles to make sense of it all. The film depicts a successful Bauhaus-trained Hungarian architect who reaches the shores of America after his incarceration in concentration camps.
Read More(OPINION) The media and the public are now accustomed to hearing athletes thank God for the abilities he has given them. But that wasn’t always the case. In baseball in the 1950 and ‘60s, it was extremely rare to hear such pronouncements from athletes. Then, during the 1970s in San Francisco, one of the great culture clashes between religious athletes, the media and the fan base erupted over a group of born-again ballplayers.
Read More(OPINION) David Brooks grew up Jewish, but as a kid also attended a Christian school and camp. As an adult, he kept kosher and sent his kids to Jewish schools, “but all that proximity still didn’t make me a believer.” His essay on his journey from agnosticism to faith is just beautiful.
Read More(OPINION) God’s always in the business of loving and healing the world. But given the state of humanity, healing rarely follows a straight line. There are complications and mistakes and delays. The wondrous thing is, though, that nobody gets turned away.
Read More(OPINION) I’ve seen a whole bunch of religion, good and bad. Maybe the one thing I’ve come to understand is what good faith looks like. You may or may not agree, which is your privilege, but here are my signs any particular religious organization — megachurch or storefront, famous or obscure — is spiritually healthy:
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