Posts in Opinion
How Religious Institutions Can Tackle The Rising Costs Of Health Insurance

(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. 

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🇺🇸 God And Trump: 5 Revealing Quotes From Inaugural Week 🔌

President Donald Trump’s latest inaugural speech was notable not for its inclusion of God but for the specific personal nature of what he said.

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Elon Musk’s Inauguration Salute Just Another Distracting Meme

(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.

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Do Atheism And Trans Rights Movements Owe A Big Debt To Jesus?

(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.

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🐶 Doggone It, But A Few Readers Bark Over Idea Of Pets In Heaven 🔌

Our recent column on whether all dogs go to heaven generated some precious responses and a few emails that reminded us why dogs — and not some grumpy humans — are considered man’s best friend.

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Jimmy Carter: A Statesman Who Lived His Faith Imperfectly But Genuinely

(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.

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‘Prevail Without Selling Your Soul’: Why ‘The Brutalist’ Resonated So Deeply With Me

(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.

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Recalling The Giants Of Faith: The Legacy Of San Francisco's ‘God Squad’

(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.

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As 2025 Begins, Read David Brooks’ Explanation Of His Journey To Faith

(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.

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How To Know Whether Your Religious Group Is Healthy Or Toxic

(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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🚔 Family, Faith And A Finale: Why Fans Loved The TV Series ‘Blue Bloods’ 🔌

For the popular CBS drama “Blue Bloods,” the “End of Tour” — as the final episode is dubbed — brings an emotional farewell. People of faith who love the show lament its conclusion.

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Sacred Cows And Superstitions Drive Harmful Practices And Manipulate Believers

(OPINION) Today, in 2024, with centuries of historical evidence to show witchcraft accusations as false, nonfactual and harmful superstition, there are thousands of innocent people accused of witchcraft who are tortured and killed annually. Most of the accused are children, a few elderly women and people who can’t physically defend themselves.

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How Israel Accidentally Helped Spark Regime Change In Syria

(OPINION) The fall of Assad highlights a classic case of unintended consequences. Israel — like the West — was long ambivalent about the fate of the despotic Syrian regime, which was a bitter enemy, but a weakened one that seemed to have made peace with Israel’s usurping of the strategic Golan Heights.

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Top Theologian Discusses Whether God Ever Changes His Mind

(OPINION) Allow me to direct your attention to a long, thought-provoking article that appeared in the New York Times recently under the headline, “‘A God Who Continually Surprises Us’: A Q&A With a Theologian Who Changed His Mind About Gay Marriage.” Changing your mind about what the Bible, the church and God have said is always complicated.

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