(OPINION) As we all sit here stunned watching the footage of the attempted assassination of President Trump, it really is a time for reflection. Are we contributing to this atmosphere of hatred and violence? What kind of emotions do we stir up with the words we speak and the memes we post? What are we fomenting? To what end?
Read More(ANALYSIS) After he decided to kick heroin, the young Robert F. Kennedy Jr. tried to think about daily life in a totally different way. Rather than trusting his willpower to do the right thing for a whole day, he began dividing each day into 40 or more decisions. After 14 years of addiction, Kennedy said he tried to act as if each decision was a moral test. This was a leap of faith, since his addiction attacked the Catholic faith of his childhood.
Read MoreA release of the Republican National Convention’s (RNC) platform reveals a potential shift in the party’s focus on a federal abortion ban. The announcement came hours after the RNC’s platform committee met on Monday.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Tragedy seldom unifies Americans today. Well into the 20th century, tragedies were mostly explained differently than now. Explanations often referenced forces such as God, fate, bad luck, blameless accidents or, in line with the U.S. liberal political tradition, individual responsibility.
Read More(ANALYSIS) I guess there is a question that motivates this post but it’s about as simple as it’s going to get: How is Joe Biden doing among a bunch of different religious groups? Asking about presidential approval is about as straightforward as it gets, and the question was posed in the Fall of 2021, 2022, and 2023.
Read More(ANALYSIS) While political pundits do their jobs in analyzing the presidential debate, I’ll do my job as a spiritual leader and encourage us to keep our priorities straight. In short, as I posted earlier this year, preach Jesus and vote for your presidential candidate of choice, based on scriptural principles. But do not preach your candidate. To do so is to defile your witness.
Read MoreIn Weekend Plug-in, columnist Bobby Ross Jr. reflects on his parents’ 60th anniversary — and what their legacy of faith and love has meant to him.
Read MoreThe timing was awkward, to say the least, for the recording of this week’s “Crossroads” podcast. Lutheran Public Radio listeners who heard this chat live heard us discussing an alleged “debate” between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump that had not yet taken place. Ditto for anyone who immediately downloaded the Issues, Etc., audio file.
Read MoreIn a 5-4 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court sent the case of Idaho and Moyle v. U.S. back to the Ninth Circuit Court in a ruling released on Thursday. The case involves a conflict between state law and the Biden Administration’s use of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act.
Read MoreSalem Media Group, the largest U.S. radio company providing Christian and conservative programming, is removing the book and film “2,000 Mules” from all its platforms. The group also apologized to a Georgia man who filed a defamation suit, claiming the film falsely accused him of ballot fraud during the 2020 presidential election.
Read MoreVenezuelan and Ukrainian immigrants were among 70 families who made a pilgrimage through Chicago’s Albany Park neighborhood, past dog walkers and Little Leaguers, to the church’s food pantry. Christians from a nearby high school loaded sacks of fresh vegetables, canned goods and bread into their cars or backpacks as airplanes soared overhead.
Read MoreTwenty years ago, I worked as a Dallas-based religion reporter for The Associated Press. Many of the stories that dominated the headlines then remain relevant today.
Read MoreA recent series of crosscurrents and eruptions remind us that Catholic voters may well decide this odd contest between unwelcome nominees. As with Americans in general, Pew Research Center polling shows they give fellow Catholic Biden an unfavorable rating of 64 percent and 57 percent unfavorable toward Trump.
Read More(OPINION) While a petition calling for the firing of Harrison Butker, one of the greatest placekickers in the NFL, has gained more than 100,000 signatures, sales of his jersey are skyrocketing. Why all the controversy?
Read MorePresident Joe Biden signed a $95 billion foreign aid package on April 24 that drew bipartisan support for Israel, Ukraine and other allies, and pledged to begin sending weapons and military equipment to Ukraine within hours.
Read MoreU.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson heard from select evangelical leaders in a press call in advance of the chamber’s weekend passage of a $95 million foreign aid package. The U.S. must support Israel, Ukraine and other allies in a battle that threatens democracy and religious freedom beyond Europe and the Middle East, the leaders said.
Read More“We must fight Christian nationalism. It’s what fueled Jan. 6 and the pews in our churches, every Sunday, are filled with them.” That isn’t the only time I’ve heard that ominous warning offered up by an earnest, well-weaning pastor, non-profit leader or Christian influencer. It’s shaped by a narrative repeated often by the press, echoed in a seemingly unlimited new genre of books and accepted as gospel even by many people of faith.
Read MoreThis week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights five takeaways when attempting to define and measure Christian nationalism. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
Read MoreEven as countless books, newspaper articles and cable TV segments devote intense attention to Christian nationalism, the term has become so pervasive that it risks losing any real meaning, according to a growing group of scholars both on the left and right. Nonetheless, expect its use to grow as another presidential election nears.
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.
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