Features
Letting the Bible read us
Do we allow scripture to shape our identity, or do we reshape scripture to fit the nation we imagine ourselves to be?
José Saramago’s clarifying unbelief
Reading the atheist novelist has shaped my faith’s suspicion of religious power, capitalist inevitability, and hollow progress.
The pastor with no robe
Economic ideology can strip a vocation bare. The danger is especially acute for clergy of color.
The monk and the machine
How can we be better stewards of AI? Thomas Merton’s writing on technology can help.
It’s not too late for climate action
“The God-given gift of human ingenuity,” says activist Bill McKibben, “is on par with the God-given gift of sunshine and wind.”
The inclusivity trap
A commitment to inclusion can help majority White congregations feel virtuous—while avoiding costly action.
I mourned Annie Dillard as if I knew her personally
Writers are mirror makers. They use words to create a sheen onto which we see all manner of reflections.
The price of virtue
It is often easier to do good or be good if you are rich. Just ask Job.
We keep turning women into monsters
Reading Eleanor Johnson’s new book while watching the Lindsay Clancy trial, I realized we’re still using the same ancient myths against women.
Hildegard’s living stones
The 12th-century polymath’s worldview exposes the limits of our supposedly enlightened one.
Where the salmon run again
In the Pacific Northwest, an era of dam removal has begun.
Annie Dillard’s unrestrained hallelujah
The visionary writer showed us that paying attention could make us certain that the world is holy.
Understanding polyamory
Alternatives to monogamous marriage are going mainstream. How will Christians respond?
Beauty and how to see it
Reading Van Gogh’s letters has helped me uncover a deeper, more textured theological understanding.
A sacred migration to a changing future
Colonialism wants to keep Native America locked in the closet of the past. But we have something important to say about the present—and about what comes next.
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.