Christian apologists say they found New Testament fragments in mummy masks. It’s a dubious claim.
When I read the annunciation story, I picture Mary as Clara.
The Magnificat rejoices in a God who acts within human history.
Why did an early 20th-century artist leave us with a polydactyl Jesus? I have a few guesses.
Fixing our immigration system will take time. A path to citizenship for the Dreamers is a good way to begin.
Most social problems are rooted in the failure of the strong to be gentle with others.
The comedy series doesn’t feel didactic—despite the fact that it features actual moral philosophy lessons.
Why does Matthew insist on calling Jesus a king?
Luke insists that Jesus is a child of Israel.
The fall and rise of Holy Russia
Since the Soviet collapse, Christianity has flourished. This poses its own challenges.
The cool piety of young Muslim hip-hop fans
John O'Brien brings readers into teenage boys' frustrations and laughter as they struggle to integrate their different worlds.
How a woman sounds in the pulpit
Preaching is an embodied act. Do women perform it differently from men?
Beyond plastic saints
Stories of Christians working in the world offer hope that heals.
Lifting the spirit
I've been inspired this year by Shonda Rhimes, the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and Paul Angone.
Dinosaurs, tigers, and pop ballads
Amid the puzzles of life, there is still pleasure in learning and listening.
Messengers of hope
This Advent, the people who have spoken most clearly to me are women and people of color: Aisha Hinds, D. L. Mayfield, Eddie Glaude, and Liz Theoharis.
Proclaim the hope but proclaim it slant
Consolation comes to me at unexpected angles.
Tales of different lands
Literature and film from England, Hungary, Japan, and Korea
Grace alive among us
Grace is an exchange, says Terra Schwerin Rowe—but not an economic one.
Books about living well
Insights from three scholars and one shepherd
Jagged, trustworthy joy
I've hungered this year for art that honors complexity.
The pleasures of good poems
This year, I've read the poetry of Mark Jarman, Tess Taylor, and Nicole Sealey with gratitude.
Finding God in the sewer
Struggle on against the powers as if this desperate situation were nothing—because even now it is nothing.
Hanging in there for love
Faithfulness isn't always pious or sweet.
A 32-member commission is seeking a way forward for a denomination with a lesbian bishop—and a policy barring ordained LGBTQ people.
Ellen Di Giosia was told that she could not vote in a statewide gathering of congregations.
Schools and other sites of violence have been razed and rebuilt. But it's a different question for places of prayer and worship.
An Iraqi-British team hopes to excavate an ancient Assyrian palace found under the demolished shrine, which local authorities are eager to restore.
The attack may be the deadliest targeting a congregation in U.S. history.
A recent report indicates that incidents spiked during and immediately after white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
The 18-year-old was conscripted into the military, but refused to wear a military uniform or take an oath of service.
Dyer was also among the first group of women ordained as Scottish Episcopal deacon and then priest.
“Though the motives may be different the result is the same: you have now two congregations who have gone through a tremendous amount of hatred and evil within their sacred spaces.”