We gave our readers a one-word writing prompt: “surprise.”
“According to Islam, Jesus always speaks the truth. The question is how we understand it.”
In the late 70s, two friends of mine housesat for the poet James Merrill—and got out his Ouija board.
Being a pastor is like jumping into a river. You have to let the current take you.
It is hard to imagine a time or place more opposed to the gospel than fifth-century Ireland.
Trump says pastors are bullied and silenced. That comes as a surprise to me.
Caring for the sick means keeping them in our risk pool.
Most religions acknowledge the contingencies and paradoxes of human life. Not this one.
When a revival took root among Methodists, U.S. church authorities demanded that local leaders disavow it. They refused.
Matthew 25 is not the only way that Christ appears in our world.
We have value because we are creatures, like sparrows.
Improvising the music of daily life
Robert Bresson’s films are adventurous, brooding, and deeply religious.
Facing fear with Christ
Our collective panic is hurting us. Can faith help?
The Till family’s agony
Carolyn Bryant changed her story. Does this change the meaning of Emmett Till’s death?
Refugee, poet, father
Kao Kalia Yang’s memoir of her family’s flight from Laos is devastating and lyrical.
