(ANALYSIS) The UMC has just suffered America’s worst schism since the Civil War, with 7,658 traditionalist congregations, a quarter of the former total, departing as of New Year’s Eve. The Charlotte gathering will once again deal with the central problem that has plagued this prominent denomination for most of the 56 years since it was founded through a merger.
Read More(OPINION) Isaiah paints us a portrait of what true, godly leadership looks like. In the New Testament’s Gospels, God himself incarnates a human being who sounds a lot like Isaiah’s suffering servant. What a contrast between Jesus’ leadership and the leaders we promote to power in our own politics, government, pop culture, military and business.
Read MoreThis week’s Weekend Plug-in focuses on the religious significance of Monday’s total solar eclipse. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
Read More(OPINION) We must learn the painful lessons from the last eight years, during which time many of us became better known as supporters of Trump, if not apologists for Trump, than as followers of Jesus. In doing so, we deeply damaged our witness and drove many Americans, especially young Americans, away from Jesus.
Read More(OPINION) For many years now, it has been clear that America has been in a steep moral and spiritual decline, despite some genuine revival movements along with some holy pushback against the growing cultural insanity. But two recent examples confirm that we are now in moral freefall. What took place over Easter weekend is further proof of it.
Read More(OPINION) It occurred to me that although my grandfathers are long since gone, they’re not gone, either. Nothing lasts — yet, somehow, it does. It’s a paradox. They’re dead and they’re still alive.
Read More(OPINION) Mostly we butt into other folks’ affairs because we’re control freaks who need to fix, or at least feel superior to, everyone else. Or, like Dear Abby’s correspondents, we’re nosy. Or we reap some type of social currency from getting the inside scoop and then passing it along to friends. Or we hope to deflect attention from our own shortcomings by calling attention to someone else’s.
None of those is a good look, is it?
Read MoreThis week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights four takeaways from a new national survey on religion in public life. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
Read More(OPINION) Perhaps what we’re witnessing today relates to that old Churchill adage, “Any man under 30 who is not a liberal has no heart, and any man over thirty who is not a conservative has no brains.” Today, this is also working itself out along gender lines, not in a hard and fast way but in a consistent enough way that it can be documented. Does this explain it all?
Read More(OPINION) It is one thing to push pills that could lead to death because of overdose or abuse. It is another thing to push pills that are designed to kill. But that’s just what one young pop star is doing – a pop star with 36.7 million Instagram followers. I’m speaking of Olivia Rodrigo.
Read More(OPINION) Ever since I turned 35, I’ve tried to use this time of year to take stock, to evaluate where I’ve been over the previous 12 months, where I stand now and where I see myself going. Some years nothing much has changed. Other years much has changed, and I find myself contradicting what I’ve said previously. Here goes for 2024.
Read MoreThis week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights Adelle M. Banks’ selection as the Religion News Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
Read More(OPINION) In an increasingly competitive and challenging market, students and their families are looking for institutions that align with their values. For many Christian families, that search is becoming more and more difficult.
Read More(OPINION) I can’t say whether all the countless new gender permutations are legitimate. Maybe some are more social contagion or attention-seeking rather than biological predestination. Who knows? What really matters is that I’ve got grandkids. Five of them. Each unique in marvelous, remarkable, illuminating ways. And I love them.
Read MoreThis week’s Weekend Plug-in delves into reports the U.S. Justice Department has ended its investigation of Southern Baptist sex abuse. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
Read More(OPINION) Are you a Christian nationalist if you love Jesus and love your country? Are you a Christian nationalist if you are simply a patriotic Christian? Are you a Christian nationalist if you believe that America was founded on Christian principles and that, the more we adhere to those principles the more our nation will be blessed? And were the Founding Fathers Christian nationalists?
Read More(OPINION) In this world, we have to deal with numbers. That is a simple fact of life. From paying our bills to counting inventory to measuring results, calculating numbers cannot be avoided.
Read More(OPINION) There have always been generation gaps and family conflicts, but today adult children may view estrangement from their parents as an expression of personal growth. This is something new and reflects how family life has changed over the past half-century.
Read More(OPINION) According to a quote widely attributed to Winston Churchill, “A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.” This is absolutely true when it comes to reporting about Israel, except even more so. We could say that anti-Israel lies become canonized, even becoming part of sacred religious lore, before the truth even gets out of bed.
Read MoreThis week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights the religious debate stirred by the Alabama Supreme Court’s ruling on in vitro fertilization. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
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