Just one of the NBA’s 30 franchises tips off each game with an invocation: the Oklahoma City Thunder. It’s a tradition that dates back to the Seattle SuperSonics’ move to OKC in 2008 — and even before that when the Bible Belt city served as the temporary home of the New Orleans Hornets after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Read More(OPINION) Reading all about the decline of religion, I always find myself pondering the mystery of faith itself. Where does faith come from? Why do some people have it and others don’t? Why do some abandon it and others hold fast despite ill winds?
Read MoreTexas Rangers slugger Jake Burger’s return to form coincided with the election of a fellow Midwesterner as the first U.S.-born pope. Faith is ingrained in the devout Catholic athlete and his family.
Read More(OPINION) If you are a conservative, Bible-believing Christian, there’s a lot to like about the Rev. Calvin Robinson. His behavior of the past few years has demonstrated both a sharp mind and an enormous gift for communication, but also an unseemly appetite for controversy and the limelight.
Read More(OPINION) From what I know about her, Guanyin is a-OK with my skeptical ways. I don’t believe in Greek, Egyptian or Hindu goddesses either, but I do appreciate the idea of a feminine divine archetype that suggests the deep-level empathy women may access from our oneness with our child in utero, literally holding the space for another within.
Read MoreOur Weekend Plug-in columnist loves baseball. And he loves reporting on faith. Combining the two? He calls that a home run.
Read More(OPINION) Angry students threatening campus police. Students holding signs in the lobby of a classroom building. Which do you prefer? Which is the best?
Read More(OPINION) Colloquially, “mamzer” apparently can also refer to anybody regarded as strange or an outsider. That would be me. In that sense I’m definitely a mamzer. And maybe that’s you, too, if you’re of a certain bent. We’re those odd souls who see things differently than the crowd does, maybe because we’re always a healthy distance from it.
Read MoreIt’s always nice to reconnect with Warren Maye, a long-time EPA board member who runs the communications operation for the Salvation Army. And every time I see him, I remember how — long ago — the Salvation Army changed the trajectory of my family.
Read MoreSure, drinking and cheating songs characterize a whole lot of the country music genre, known for its roots in working-class, blue-collar American life. But faith, too, infuses many Nashville hits, as illustrated by the 60th annual Academy of Country Music Awards.
Read More(OPINION) While public school Bible initiatives seem commendable, and we agree with recognizing the Bible’s value as an educational resource for teaching the moral, spiritual and historical context of Western civilization, we believe there’s a less controversial way to go about encouraging Bible teaching in our schools.
Read More(OPINION) The criticism of my preaching I’ve heard most across the decades is this: I don’t preach enough against wickedness. I’m too easy on reprobates. I don’t threaten rebels with hellfire. I’m soft on sin.
In a presentation at the Associated Church Press annual convention in Chicago, our Weekend Plug-in columnist reflects on his experience covering natural disasters.
Read MoreWhen the leader of the world’s estimated 1.4 billion Catholics passes, it’s always banner-headline news.
Read More(OPINION) I was struck by how similar an Orthodox monk and Baptist preacher seemed, although they live on opposite sides of the planet, speak different languages and belong to vastly different traditions. They’re both holy men who’ve stayed faithful to their calling even as the world went off and left them, or maybe never much recognized them to begin with.
Read MoreOn the 30th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing, our columnist reflects on how covering the biggest story of his life changed him.
Read More(OPINION) There are many right ways to observe Holy Week and to walk with Jesus. I invite you to be intentional and make a plan for how you will observe the rest of Holy Week, each and every day.
Read MoreReligion Unplugged’s readers see Clemente Lisi’s stories all the time. Here are seven facts to help the audience get to know him better.
Read More(OPINION) At a professor’s nudge, I first attended a conference in the early 2000s. I don’t remember what city it was in, or even the exact year. I do remember how awkward it felt. I stood shyly by myself — away from the religion reporters I admired so much — when I should have been networking.
Read More(OPINION) Every year at Passover, when Jews around the world recite the Four Questions, we begin by asking, “ma nishtana halaila hazeh me kol halaylot” — “what makes this night different from all others?” As we approach this year’s seders, I think that it’s also appropriate that we ask what makes this year different from all others.
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