Despite Sex Abuse Reforms, Some In Southern Baptist Convention Not Ready To Change

This week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights the latest news in the Southern Baptist Convention’s ongoing sexual abuse crisis. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.

What If Heaven Isn’t A Place Beyond The Stars, But A Kingdom Already Here, Now?

(OPINION) The linchpin of N.T. Wright’s scholarship is his unusual theory about what Jesus was actually doing here 2,000 years ago. His radical view is that Jesus wasn’t primarily concerned about taking his followers to heaven. Instead, Jesus meant to bring heaven to Earth, to fulfill the Hebrew scriptures and Jewish traditions by uniting the two domains — heaven and Earth — into one kingdom.

OpinionPaul PratherDecember 1, 2022Paul Prather, C.S. Lewis, N.T. Wright, Christian literature, Christian scholarship, ChristianityComment

Gazing Into A Niche-Media Future: How Politicized Might Evangelical Radio Become?

(OPINION) Though TV gets the glamour, radio has arguably been more important in building the U.S. evangelical subculture and shaping its substance since World War II. The Guy has yet to see a comprehensive, knowledgeable look at this industry — so there’s a feature well worth developing by an enterprising reporter.

OpinionRichard OstlingNovember 25, 2022richard ostling, media, radio, evangelicalComment

Unpacking Kanye and Kyrie: Condemn antisemitic acts, but don’t destroy Black men

(OPINION) What exactly was antisemitic about the tweets and statements by Kanye West (now known as Ye) and Kyrie Irving over the past few weeks? Despite being antisemitic in tone, did any of these statements contain some degree of truth?

Whenever Donald Trump Era Ends, What Will America’s Religion Landscape Look Like?

(OPINION) Despite what some conservatives think, former President Donald Trump maintains a huge sway over a large segment of the U.S. electorate. What that means for religion in the United States, once the Trump years come to an end, remains to be seen.

Despite Perceived Polarization, Not Much Really Separates Us

(OPINION) Nobody is ever just one thing. Nobody is just a Trump supporter and that’s all. Nobody is just a wackadoodle leftie and that’s all. That Trumpian or that granola cruncher is also a parent, a sibling, a son or daughter, an employee, a co-worker, a little league coach, a ballroom dancer, a store manager, a deacon, a teacher, a caregiver to an elderly parent — and/or 20 other things.

What Do World Religions Teach On Polygamy, Pro And Con?

(OPINION) What do world religions believe on polygamy, pro and con? With religion, age-old issues such as polygamy versus monogamy never disappear, and a recent Jerusalem Post article discussed Jewish practices, which we’ll examine.

Latter-Day Saints Back Same-Sex Marriage Law, But Other Faith Groups Have Concerns

This week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights the religious debate over the Respect for Marriage Act. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.

Teachings On Sin Changing? Priest In Ireland Disagrees

(OPINION) For centuries, Irish Catholics have heard priests deliver sermons about sin, hell, repentance, grace and heaven. Times have changed, and an 80-year-old priest in County Kerry didn’t get the memo. The problem was that Sheehy’s Oct. 30 sermon stressed ancient Catholic doctrines on behaviors many modern Catholics refuse to call “sins.”

To End Trumpism, We Must Stick Together. Liz Cheney Has Shown Us How

(OPINION) Obviously, Trump’s behavior is several orders of magnitude below Hitler’s horrors; hopefully, Cheney will never have to display courage to the point of martyrdom as Bonhoeffer did; and certainly no one should be plotting to assassinate Trump as Bonhoeffer’s circle did with Hitler. But there are some instructive similarities.

Opinion, North AmericaBruce BarronNovember 16, 2022Bruce Barron, Trumpism, Trump 2024, Liz CheneyComment

World Cup In Qatar Will Feature A Clash Of Soccer Styles And Islamic beliefs

(OPINION) The controversy at the World Cup in Qatar is largely tied to the Muslim country’s Islamic beliefs. It’s about human rights, welcoming LGBTQ fans, drinking alcohol and modest dress. It’s as much a cultural and societal issue as it is a sporting one.

Bono, William Blake and CS Lewis

(OPINION) Bono, the frontman of the band U2, has published a new memoir “Surrender.” His music has been shaped by thinkers like William Blake, a poet who opposed the Enlightenment in favor of imaginative thinking. Bono also has parallels with Christian apologist and thinker C.S. Lewis.

OpinionMichael MetzgerNovember 15, 2022Michael metzger, Bono, U2, C.S. Lewis, music Comments

Faith And Politics: Winners And Losers In The 2022 Midterm Elections

This week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights the winners and losers in the 2022 midterm elections. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.

Can Believers Find Political Unity In The Pews These Days?

(OPINION) Just over half of churchgoing American Protestants went into the tense midterm elections believing that the people in the pews around them would vote the same way they did, according to a Lifeway Research online survey.

Stuck In The Bardo Again

(OPINION) Many of us feel stuck. It’s hard to believe that most individuals paying attention to the daily avalanche of disconcerting news are not similarly stuck. Buddhism has a term for this state. It’s called the “bardo” and it’s being referenced repeatedly in Buddhist conversations these days.

Faith And Politics: 5 Key Religion Storylines In The 2022 Midterm Elections

This week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights five key religion angles in the 2022 midterm elections. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.

LGBTQ Voices Emerging In Vatican’s Synod On Synodality

(OPINION) The “Chain of Discipleship” image showing five Catholics celebrating at a church, including a woman in priest’s vestments and a person in a rainbow-lettered “PRIDE” shirt, rocked Catholic social media — especially when it appeared on the Synod of Bishops Facebook page, linked to the ongoing Synod on Synodality that began in 2021.

Hong Kong’s National Security Law Is Curtailing The Right To A Fair Trial

(OPINION) In January 2022, Hong Kong authorities arrested 53 pro-democracy politicians and activists, on suspicion of “subversion,” namely, of undermining the power or authority of the central government. In August 2022, media reported that the prosecution had named five of the defendants as “major organizers,” facing up to life in prison, and 47 facing being prosecuted for “conspiracy to commit subversion.”

Could Secular Feminism And Some Kind Of Religion Converge In A Sexual Revolution Rethink?

(OPINION) It turns out women feel disheartened, dishonored and coerced by this supposed “freedom,” and they have good reason to be, says Britain’s Louise Perry in her spirited book “The Case Against the Sexual Revolution: A New Guide to Sex in the 21st Century” (Polity Press). She assails so-called “liberal feminism” for routinely handing countless women a raw deal.

OpinionRichard OstlingNovember 3, 2022richard ostling, women, Marriage, family, Feminism, Richard OstlingComment

Americans Who Aren’t Sure About God Are A Fast-Growing Force In Politics

(ANALYSIS) Turnout will likely play an outsize role in the 2022 midterms, too, as voters determine what political party will have control of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate in January 2023. If the data is any guide, there are two key communities political analysts often overlook: atheists and agnostics.

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