(OPINION) William Peter Blatty was pounding out the first pages of "The Exorcist" when his telephone rang — bringing the news that his mother had died. The screenwriter was already digging into dark material by writing a fictional take on an exorcism case he heard discussed during his Georgetown University days.
Read More(OPINION) An editor friend forwarded me an email he’d received. The original sender said he was reading articles about how intertwined Christians are these days with secular politics and found the subject very confusing. He suggested that somebody ought to explain how to identify a genuine Christian as opposed, I assume, to people only using faith to further their political agenda.
Read More(OPINION) For decades, the pro-life movement in America was essentially a grassroots movement. The soul of this movement was compassion. That compassion was most evident in the network of more than 3,000 pregnancy resource centers (PRCs) that had grown up around the nation. Many of them have been part of two large networks called Care Net and Heartbeat International.
Read More(OPINION) In the years following Martin Luther’s 95 theses, Luther was shocked by much of what he saw. What followed were uprisings so brutal and bloody that Luther himself condemned the rebels in terms so hysterical that even his admirers were taken back.
Read MoreThis week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights Pope Francis’ removal of a conservative bishop in East Texas. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
Read More(OPINION) Quoting Alexander Solzhenitsyn is not a typical cold open for a Jewish comedian. The Russian-British Konstantin Kisin — a self-avowed "politically non-binary satirist" — wasn't joking during a speech to the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship in London', where he described what he sees as immediate threats to liberal Western culture.
Read More(OPINION) There’s a key concept in Christianity called repentance. It’s probably common in other faiths as well. The word translated from the Greek of the original New Testament into English as “repent” or “repentance” is a compound term. It means, literally, “change your mind.” That’s it.
Read MoreThis week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights the religion takeaways from this week’s Election Day and the GOP presidential debate. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
Read More(OPINION) We’ve heard the endless cries of “Free Palestine!” in recent weeks, but there’s a variation on this theme that hits the nail on the head: “Free Palestine from Hamas!”
Read More(OPINION) What St. John Paul II taught was so wondrously beautiful that it took listeners some time to begin to grasp the significance of it. One of the first was his biographer, George Wiegel. He described the theology of the body as “a kind of theological time-bomb set to go off with dramatic consequences … perhaps in the 21st century.” I hope he’s right.
Read More(OPINION) While expressing hope for future Synod on Synodality developments, a German bishop has officially asked his clergy to start performing rites blessing Catholics in same-sex relationships.
Read More(OPINION) Jesus instructs us to be meek and gentle the way our authority figures have always instilled in us, following Jesus can feel like giving into more social conformity. Jesus, it seems, does not seem to be either able or willing to protect us when we need it or to give us a model for how to protect ourselves and those we love.
Read More(OPINION) I am urging you. I am pleading with you. I am imploring you. Wake up! The irrational hatred of the Jewish people and the demonizing of Israel is reaching proportions so dangerous that if people of conscience do not stand up, speak out, and push back, Jewish blood will start flowing in America, England, and many other countries around the world.
Read More(OPINION) I’m not sure why I’m bringing Job up again. Maybe it’s the war in the Middle East with its accompanying photos of mangled bodies and shell-shocked babies. Maybe it’s the local stories I’ve heard of fatal car wrecks and life-threatening cancers. Maybe it’s just the daily toll of age and oncoming frailty.
Read More(OPINION) There’s good reason to believe that at least part of the decline in rom-coms comes from the fact that a large part of the audience just doesn’t believe in romance anymore. Fewer and fewer people are getting married and increasingly people are disillusioned with dating. And this is bleeding its way into people’s viewing preferences.
Read More(OPINION) As I celebrate the Rangers taking me higher “to a place with golden streets,” I can’t help but draw parallels between baseball and Christian life. The ups and downs. The perseverance required. The journey together with those of like minds. The promise of an indescribable reward at the end.
Read MoreThis week’s Weekend Plug-in delves into the faith and politics of new House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
Read More(OPINION) The Supreme Court soon takes up Loper Bright v. Raimondo, which has interested the Little Sisters of the Poor and the Christian Employers Alliance. Meanwhile, the court could decide this term to take up four disputes that are pending in the pipeline with religion implications.
Read More(OPINION) The news only seems to get worse whenever Jews venture online, even when digging into their social-media feeds, said Rabbi Sharon Brous, in a viral sermon at her progressive IKAR (“essence”) congregation in Los Angeles. If the Holocaust is the “dominant psychic reality of the Jew,” it's impossible not to view news reports through “Shoah-colored glasses.”
Read More(OPINION) Caution is imperative by both Muslim and Jewish communities. There is no need to be added to a list of victims of these hate crimes as these lists are mere numbers to the world. It does not matter if you are pro-Palestine or pro-Israel. What matters most is humanity and being pro-peace.
Read More
