(OPINION) In many ways the Palestinians are victims, and my strong support for Israel does not stop me from grieving over the suffering of the Palestinian people. They have been victims of decades of bad leadership. Victims of lifelong anti-Israel propaganda. Victims of the aftermath of the Six Day War in 1967.
Read More(OPINION) More than anything else, I seem to hear from people who grew up in evangelical Protestant churches, as I did. They were taught a rigid set of doctrines to which they were expected to adhere unquestioningly. Often, these folks tell me the faith they were baptized in hasn’t held up for them. They’ve become disillusioned. They’ve quit believing in God.
Read MoreThis week’s Weekend Plug-in looks at Hanukkah amid the Israel-Hamas war. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
Read More(OPINION) Advent began Sunday. Most Christians know what Advent signifies: a time of penitence and preparation. And they know how it signifies these two: four Advent wreath candles. But why do we observe Advent? Dallas Willard had a “why” you might find surprising.
Read More(OPINION) As an abundance of odes to Rosalynn have reminded me, the Carters proved themselves Christians in the truest sense of the word, unlike so many Bible thumping politicians today. Before they reached the White House, while in it and across their post-presidential decades, they never used their faith as a cudgel with which to bludgeon or belittle their adversaries, but as a motivation for their innumerable good works.
Read More(OPINION) There is no question that hatred of the state of Israel, and more broadly, hatred of the Jewish people, helps animate the pro-Palestinian cause. If people really cared about the Palestinians themselves, there would not be Palestinian refugee camps in countries like Lebanon and Syria, and the Palestinians would have been granted full citizenship in the surrounding Arab countries at some point after the 1948 war.
Read More(OPINION) When religion does seem to reduce individuals’ acceptance of scientific ideas, it is typically not because of the facts themselves. Rather, religious individuals’ objections are often grounded in the moral implications of that research, or scientists’ perceived role in policymaking.
Read More(OPINION) Choosing a life of thanksgiving doesn’t mean living in denial or developing toxic positivity. Just venture online to watch a few minutes of the gruesome images coming out of Israel and Gaza. You’ll quickly be disabused of the idea that this is the best of all possible worlds.
Read More(OPINION) Never assume that America’s third parties don’t matter. Especially in a topsy-turvy political season like this one. After all, some figure that Jill Stein’s 1% in three swing states produced Donald Trump’s 2016 victory, or that Ralph Nader’s 1.6% in Florida elected Bush 43 in 2000, or that Ross Perot’s 19% elected Clinton over incumbent Bush 41 in 1992.
Read More(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.
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