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photo of Annie Dillard with a cat

Annie Dillard’s unrestrained hallelujah

The visionary writer showed us that paying attention could make us certain that the world is holy.

by Amy Frykholm

From shame to gift

Humans have a special talent for screwing things up. I think acknowledging this offers liberation.

Understanding polyamory

Alternatives to monogamous marriage are going mainstream. How will Christians respond?

by David Congdon

wendell berry in conversation

Wendell Berry’s vision of a sacred world

Experience, reading, and the daily rounds of farm work taught Wendell that scripture is correct: Every creature and every inch of earth is made and approved by God.

by Norman Wirzba

Online Columnists

The price of AI’s techno-religious promises

The environment is not the only sacrifice we’re being asked to make. Workers, too, are being offered up.

by Colton Bernasol

Books

Lonely conspiracists

Noelle Cook opens a window into the lives of two insurrectionists, Yvonne and Tammy, as they navigate the world after January 6.

An NGO’s complex ethics

Journalist Ross Halperin tells the story of two friends whose work in Honduras finds them bearing the high costs of discipleship.

by Aimee Allison Hein

In love with a fantasy

Amanda McCracken thought she’d been unlucky in love. Instead she’d been faithful to the idea of longing itself.

by Kristel Clayville

Something resembling God

Adam Hughes explores the far side of certainty and what happens when belief begins to dissolve.

by Garrett Mostowski

News

Dispute between kosher grocers headed to highest rabbinical court in US

by Benyamin Cohen

As Pope Leo prepares to visit France, can its 'Catholic moment' become a lasting revival?

by Claire Giangravé

At NBCUSA denominational meeting, church leaders and AOC urge voter turnout

by Adelle M. Banks

US mosques have more than doubled since 9/11. But Muslims say opposition is fierce

by Ulaa Kuziez and Bob Smietana

In This Issue

In the Lectionary

September 20, Ordinary 25A (Matthew 20:1–16)

A day’s wage for a day’s work? There is no such thing in a farm family.

by JoAnn A. Post

In the Lectionary

September 13, Ordinary 24A (Exodus 14:19–31; Psalm 114)

Sometimes God changes history by moving oceans, sometimes by making the wheels fall off.

by Timothy Adkins-Jones

Beauty and how to see it

Reading Van Gogh’s letters has helped me uncover a deeper, more textured theological understanding.

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Voices

Illustration of columnist Rachel Mann

Rachel Mann

From shame to gift

Humans have a special talent for screwing things up. I think acknowledging this offers liberation.

Stephanie Saldana

Stephanie Saldaña

The wounds of Catholic women

When the Vatican rejected a bid to allow laypeople to preach at mass, I felt again the toll of being dismissed by the church I call home.

Illustration of columnist Julian DeShazier

Julian DeShazier

Confessions of a snob

My snob origin story begins in the typical way: with passion.

Image of Alejandra Oliva

Alejandra Oliva

Lessons from the group chat

What makes these friendships so special—and the distance so hard—is the deep sense that we are called to be witnesses to each other’s lives.

Sketch of Peter Choi

Peter Choi

A desert gospel in San Francisco

In Mark’s wilderness and in my city, life emerges in unexpected ways.

Illustration of Kelly Brown Douglas

Kelly Brown Douglas

The whole, contradictory truth

Martin Luther King Jr. worked to expose the distance between what the United States professed and what it practiced.

Politics

Lonely conspiracists

Noelle Cook opens a window into the lives of two insurrectionists, Yvonne and Tammy, as they navigate the world after January 6.

Masks hide us—and shape us

When extremists don disguises and terrorize others, they also do grave moral damage to themselves.

by Peter W. Marty

Online Columnists

The price of AI’s techno-religious promises

The environment is not the only sacrifice we’re being asked to make. Workers, too, are being offered up.

by Colton Bernasol

An NGO’s complex ethics

Journalist Ross Halperin tells the story of two friends whose work in Honduras finds them bearing the high costs of discipleship.

by Aimee Allison Hein