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By Kathryn Post
(RNS) — ‘The biggest lesson I had to learn is that God’s lack of an answer to my prayers to change me was an answer, because there was…
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Illegal Immigration, Child Refugees, and Christian Compassion
I am thankful that a considerable number of religious leaders –including conservative evangelicals- support a compassionate immigration policy. But, sadly, there are still many Christians who urge harsh, exclusionary policies…
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War is Abortion: Why Pro-Life Christians Should Care About Gaza
By Brian Gorman
If there is one thing that most Christians of all denominations agree on, it is abortion. A 2012 Gallup poll found that 54% of American Catholics and 57% of Protestants/Others…
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Is Christianity Getting Better or Worse?
Christians often follow a narrative that assumes everything is getting worse. Sermons, books, and movies preach that the End Times are just around the corner, and apocalyptic doom is an…
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From Behind the Walls, pt. 2: A Human Being (Almost) Died That Night
“From Behind the Walls” is a series of stories and prayers on encounters Michael McRay had while serving as a volunteer prison chaplain. Disclaimer: Contains somewhat graphic descriptions of blood…
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The Oppressor has more responsibility than the Oppressed
I have been having some ongoing social media debates with people about the Israeli-Palestinian crisis. There have been points when I have wanted to give up on this conversation only…
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Boy Soldiers and Doughnut Girls
Today, Monday July 28th 2014 marks the centennial of the start of World War I, or The Great War as it was called at the time. People thought it was…
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Do We Really Need “Church”?
By Micah Bales
When I was a kid, my family was part of what I would consider a fairly traditional Quaker church. We attended for a couple of hours every Sunday morning. On…
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A Gay Christian's Journey: And God Save Judy Garland
There’s a kind of unique club in the world called “friends of Tony and Peggy Campolo.” I’m a grateful member of that group. It began when Tony was the first…
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Beam me up Goddy: Eschatology, Dualism, and Creation Care
By Mick Pope
My title for this blog post is both slightly irreverent in its misuse of God’s name. It is also ironic in that it was a popular joke obituary for the…
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Remember Those Who Are in Prison
America’s addiction to locking people in prison for interminable periods of time began in the 1970s. Prior to that time a relatively small number of criminal offenders were incarcerated. Today…
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The Gospel, and Immigration Crisis, According to the Grinch
By Morf Morford
Fans of the Dr. Seuss Christmas special are familiar with the Grinch whose heart was two sizes too small. The Grinch didn’t understand Christmas until it touched him directly and…
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When Prayer Feels Both Normal and Crazy at the Same Time
Why does prayer feel both right and normal to me and crazy, too? The best I can do is offer this analogy. In the movie Close Encounters of the Third…
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How Would Jesus Vote on Hot Topics?
I read an article on Huffington Post today about a new survey by a nonpartisan organization called YouGov of self-identified Christians. Asked how they believe Jesus would vote on various hot current…
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From Behind the Walls, Pt. 1: Jesus Under Lockdown
“From Behind the Walls” is a series of stories and prayers on encounters Michael McRay had while serving as a volunteer prison chaplain. Disclaimer: The names of inmates have been…
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What Christian Aid Worker Can’t Even Stop Child Labour being used at his Own House?
By Matt Darvas
It all seemed so easy when I was a young student activist crying out, “End child labour now!” It didn’t take too much thought to get up in youth group…
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American Church Community Solves Immigration Crisis
By Yaholo Hoyt
DISCLAIMER: This is a satire piece, the names and churches are made up. It is merely what I wish to wake up one day and see in the news. The…
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A Small Step Towards Peace in Israel-Palestine
By Tony Campolo
Jesus once said that if we are faithful in little things, He would make us the ruler over great things (Matthew 25:21). To that end, I want to offer a…
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Beyond the Diminished Cross
There is a lot more to the cross of Jesus than you are likely to learn from those who endlessly say, “Jesus died for our sins. Jesus took our place…
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Raising Girls In A World Where They Are Less Than Human
By Jon Huckins
I have two daughters. They are little spark plugs of utter joy and complete chaos. They make me laugh. They make me cry. They remind me to view the world…
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A Cure for Ministerial Burnout: Contemplative Prayer
By Tony Campolo
Burnout is a big problem. In far too many cases we hear of missionaries who go to the field and then, before long, we learn that they have lost their…
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Religious Exceptions Have No Scriptural Basis
By Emily Timbol
In the wake of President Obama’s promise to sign an executive order barring discrimination against LGBT persons by companies that do government work, a large group of religious conservatives have…
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“Peace and Justice Have Kissed”: Conflict Resolution in Israel-Palestine
Israeli bombs demolish Gaza. Hamas rockets launch toward Israel. Palestinians die in scores. Israelis take cover amidst the wailing sirens. The tit-for-tat violence has escalated and deescalated countless times over…
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The Ends Can Never Justify the Means
Having been involved in church leadership for the best part of three decades my wife (Bev) and I have seen our fair share of debate and controversy. Not too long…
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Domestic Violence and the Church #yesallchurches
A young college student went on a shooting spree, killing because he felt rejected by women. A pulsing wave of men, ignited with grief and frustration began a hashtag on…
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An Open Letter to the Evangelical Establishment
Dear Evangelical Establishment, I know you don’t trust or like me and I don’t blame you! Lord knows what a pain in the ass I am! But instead of just writing me…
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3 Core Beliefs that Can Change How We Perceive the American Dream
We live in one of the wealthiest economies on earth. Yet many of us feel crunched for time, stressed in our finances or perplexed about what makes life meaningful. Our culture is…
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Evangelicalism and the Future
By Steve Chalke
Some years ago, a long-time friend of mine was asked, at the last minute, to take part in a radio debate. At the end of the programme the producer thanked…
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(de)Escalating Violence and the Human Story in Israel/Palestine
By Jon Huckins
I was sitting in the airport the other day listening to yet another account of the current events unfolding in Israel and Palestine. Almost mechanically, the lips of the news anchor…
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It’s Time to Stop Killing: A Former Tennessee Prison Chaplain on Capital Punishment
The following is a revised version of comments Michael shared on a panel discussion at the Scarritt-Bennett Center in Nashville, Tennessee on June 19, 2014. I am firmly against capital…
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Following Christ as a Lunatic Grass Farmer: An Interview with Joel Salatin
Joel Salatin is a grass-farmer in Swoope, Virginia, where he and his family own and operate , a multi-generational, pasture-based, beyond organic, local-market farm. Joel is the author of nine…
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American Jesus
It’s almost 7am on a Saturday morning, and eight year old me can’t wait to jump out of bed, turn on the TV and start the cartoon extravaganza that marked…
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How Congress Is Anti-Christian & Anti-American
On Monday, June 30th, Julia Preston of the New York Times reported that Congress has announced that it does not plan to vote on any legislation concerning immigration reform this…
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Prophet or Patriot
“I love America more than any other country in the world and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.” – James Baldwin I was reading…
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When Christianity Causes More Division than Unity
It’s convenient, tempting, and easy for Christians to obsess over the smallest details of our—and others—faith while completely missing the reality of God’s love. Too often, we become distracted by…
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Why the Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby decision upsets women and men of faith
The Supreme Court’s decision to side with Hobby Lobby is a setback for all women, but particularly for many women of faith. Why? Well, let me count the ways. Christians…
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Love is Louder, Still!
Last year, I wrote a blog post about my experience participating in The Marin Foundation’s I’m Sorry Campaign as we stood in front of these protestors during Chicago’s Gay Pride Parade. <sidenote ::…
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How do you know, 'God Told You'?
By Tania Harris
Last month the leader of Boko Haram, the terrorist organization responsible for kidnapping 300 teenagers in Nigeria, made the claim that God told him to do it. The use of…
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Singing Praise to God, Not America
There is an often told apocryphal story of the little boy in a worship service who was seated beside his father, as he frequently was at sports games. The minister…
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The Rapes and Hangings in India: the Tragedy of Us and Them
By John Watson
Katra village in Uttar Pradesh is now famous. Talked about. It was scene to one of those horrors which begs to be the harbinger of change, which comes to symbolise…
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What part of ‘Thou shall not kill’ do you not get?
By Morf Morford
From the opening scenes of the Bible (Genesis 4:8) we see murder. In fact we see violence, destruction and betrayal on almost every page of the Bible. Human beings, created…
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The Tao of Jesus
Six centuries before the birth of Jesus the Babylonians were destroying Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem and the Scriptures of Jeremiah, David and Ezekiel were being written. Around the time of…
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Five Reasons Churches Need to “Come Out” on LGBTQ Rights
Our entire family, including my wife, Rev. Amy Piatt, and my two kids, took part in the Portland Gay Pride parade this weekend. We stood on a float in the…
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A Better World is Possible: Reflections on the FTE Christian Leadership Forum
By Melvin Bray
Abiding justice requires better theology. Our sense of justice must be informed by something. Ideologies and philosophies tend to inform by advocating concretely just ends (e.g. food, shelter, clothing) or…
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Let's Stop Pretending Ministry is All Fun and Games
In a society obsessed with consumerism, comfort, and entertainment, it’s not surprising that the Great Commission, God’s command to love our neighbors, and Christ’s instructions to minister to others and…
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Left Behind, Failed Peace and the Human Implications of (bad) Theology
By Jon Huckins
Through my work with The Global Immersion Project, I have spent a significant amount of time over the years cultivating relationships among both Israelis and Palestinians as we partner together in…
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A (Jewish) Biblical Case for Divestment
By Matt Rindge
The Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) voted Friday to divest finances from Caterpillar, Hewlett-Packard, and Motorola Solutions. This decision will be even more controversial than the Church’s vote Thursday to allow ministers to…
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The Church of Now
As a twenty-something Christian minister, when I tell people what I do for a living I am often met with quizzical looks and blank stares. It is often unclear whether…
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Healing for Fractured Fathers
When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. As soon as all the people saw…
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Teaching My Children To Drink
By Bronwyn Lea
Growing up, 18 was the Age At Which It All Happened. At 18, I could vote. At 18, I could drive. And at 18, I could legally purchase alcohol. When…
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Iraq: Here's how you can help
By RLC Editor
With Iraq in chaos, you may be wondering what the heck you can do. Here’s a really concrete answer. Support our friends at the Preemptive Love Coalition, as they save the lives…
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How Can a Fallible Bible Be Inspired?
By Derek Flood
Over the past several months we’ve been doing a lot of deconstruction work with the Bible on my blog, discussing how an unquestioning reading of Scripture leads to a lot…
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Compost? Secret Sauce to Cultivating New Leadership and Ministry
By Hyepin Im
“Compost” is not the first thing to come to mind when picturing a conference on cultivating the next generation of leaders in ministry. However, when 200 leaders, scholars, students, and…
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Is the Gay Thing Worth Splitting a Church? Definitely Not, and Definitely Yes.
By Kathy Vestal
Definitely Not: Made up of millions of individuals of varying backgrounds, education, and experience, there are no two people in the Christian Church who agree on all issues. There are,…
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The Politics of Worship: Who Do You Serve?
I walked out of church Sunday morning. It was a bit like walking out on a bad movie, but with greater conviction. I knew it was risky visiting a church…
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Hillsong Prays: Love Makes A Way
“What we want to pray for is real human beings, real people… so much pain, children in detention.” -Brian Houston I believe prayer is the most powerful form of protest. So…
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Marching Through Death’s Desert
It’s 93 degrees in Texas today. And Rev. Jeff Hood is walking 200 miles across the state. What would compel somebody to do that? He wants to end the death…
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Why international adoption is not the answer to the world’s orphan crisis
Sixteen years ago, my wife and I traveled half way around the world to Hanoi, Vietnam and brought home a tiny, beautiful baby boy. Adopting Chien radically transformed our lives…
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Should Churches Hire Youth Pastors?
By Tony Campolo
It seems strange to me that churches should show such favoritism to the youth and do little, if anything, for the elderly. When a church adds a new staff member,…
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Wait in Patience
By Micah Bales
Art thou in the darkness? Mind it not, for if thou dost it will feed thee more. But stand still, and act not, and wait in patience, till light arises…
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Your Dead Kids
By Morf Morford
But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as…
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A Theology of Farts and Orgasms
By Mick Pope
Without drastic action to cut greenhouse gas emissions, we appear committed to 4°C of warming before the end of the century. This will mean dramatic impacts on human civilisation and…
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Putting your Relationship where your Mouth is
If you are a Twitterer, and especially if you live in the San Francisco area, you may have noticed a phenomenon that has swept the Twitterverse this last week. An…
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Orphanage Tourism: Is it Ever Okay to Visit an Orphanage in the Developing World?
A visit to Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital city is an assault not only on the senses, but on the emotions. Thirty years after being completely devastated by the genocidal Khmer…
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The Ministry of Conflation: From Genesis and Beyond
When I was a teenager we had a preacher visit our church presenting a particular view of creation that was at odds with what I had been taught in my…
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Prayer and Action: Like Breathing In and Out
It was one of those defining moments in my faith journey and life. I was fairly new to Cape Town and excited to be a part of a Christian prayer…
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Supporting Our Troops: Bowe Bergdahl as Case Study
By Pete Newlove
Let me be transparent from the start: I am writing from a pro-peace, anti-war perspective. As talking heads and pundits have clamored that “the other side” is using Bowe Bergdahl…
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“I Don’t Love This Religion Anymore”: A Conversation With Zach Phelps-Roper
By Ben Corey
A lot of us may identify with the term “formerly fundie”, but let’s be real: it doesn’t get more “formerly fundie” than leaving Westboro Baptist Church. However, that’s exactly what…
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What’s the difference between homophobia and standing up for “Christian values?” The answer lies in a postage stamp.
Angered by the recent release of a postage stamp honoring gay-rights activist Harvey Milk, the American Family Association has asked its members not only to avoid purchasing the stamp, but to refuse…
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Somaly Mam and Storytelling with Dignity
By Rachel Goble
A few months ago Newsweek posted this in depth article calling Cambodian anti-trafficking and human rights activist Somaly Mam’s story into question. Last Thursday, a statement was issued that she…
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A "Christian" Defense of Genocide? David Barton's Justification of the Devastation of Native Americans
I’d like to believe most Americans, and in particular most Christians in America, find the genocide of Native Americans morally repugnant. I’d like to believe that people who claim to…
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Aleah Marsden is Empowering "Ordinary" Women for Extraordinary Lives
Aleah Marsden is a writer, speaker, Bible study leader, wife, and mother of four. You will hear her refer to herself as “just average, ” unequipped to teach or…
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God, Religion, and the Divine Impulse to Create
By Tim Bastedo
According to creative hermeneutics, the depth of God’s sacred, creative image in human beings goes “all the way down;” we are creative beings no matter what we create. By choosing to eat the…
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Are You Bold As Love?
From a very young age music has played a major role in my spiritual development. To be honest, singing the texts to great hymns enabled me to form a personal…
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When Two Formerly Fundies Chat: My Video Interview With Frank Schaeffer
By Ben Corey
I may have popularized the term, “formerly fundie”, but Frank Schaeffer was living it out waaaay before I got here. I had been a fan of Frank long before I…
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Who’s Looking for Me?
I remember the night my cousin and I planned our funerals. We were teenagers. I was fourteen and she was sixteen. Sitting up late one night, we fantasized about what it…
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Vincent Harding Built up a New World
My mentor, my holy man, my history teacher, and my friend died Monday, May 19th. Vincent Harding will be mourned by hundreds of thousands of people who had basked in…
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Separating the Baby from the Bathwater: Defending the Role of Orphanages in Addressing the Global Orphan Crisis
God himself cares for orphans and expects his people to do so as well. This much is not particularly controversial. It’s barely debatable. But as we move past the theological…
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Tell Wendy's to Join CIW's Fair Food Program
By RLC Editor
Make a call today to Wendy’s CEO Emil Brolick letting him know that it’s time for his company to join the Fair Food Program! 1) Dial (614) 764-3327 2) Ask to…
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Is it Biblical to Forgive and Forget?
The brilliant Australian cartoonist Michael Leunig has a quote which says, “Love one another and you will be happy. It’s as simple and as difficult as that.” Forgiveness, as a…
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6 Things I Hate About Being A Christian
Christianity is a unique, wonderful, amazing experience that is filled with all sorts of positive things, but it can also be severely frustrating. Here are 6 things I hate about…
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In God's Trenches: A Devotional Exercise on Humility
By Kathy Vestal
Those who have been to war have often said that in the trenches all are equal. All are brothers, looking out for each other and protecting each other without prejudice. …
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When Faith Means Reciting a Social Script: What is a Christian?
By Jeremy John
We think we know what we believe. We think that we believe in life after death or the resurrection, or in the virginity of Mary. But mostly, belief is what…
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Finding Truth Behind the Headlines
By Micah Bales
We must hold the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other. – Karl Barth Every morning I wake up, make my tea, and sit down at the…
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Nuns, Paddy Wagons & The Dags Will Inherit The Earth
Article by: Father Chris Bedding, Peter Barney, and Jarrod McKenna On Monday a nun was arrested. That’s right, a nun. She was one of a crowd of Christian leaders who…
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It's a Sad Day in Tennessee: the Electric Chair is Back
As the national tide turns away from execution- on Thursday, Governor Bill Haslam signed a bill to bring back the electric chair in my home state of Tennessee. It’s a sad…
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Three Questions for Memorial Day
Some while back I was asked -and agreed-to officiate at a funeral for an elderly woman who was not a part of the church I serve. These arrangements can be…
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Calvinism, Control Freaks, and the Sovereignty of God
The internet has been obsessed with Calvinism for the past week or so. Zack Hunt’s Dear John letter to Calvin, Jonathan Merritt’s article about the troubling trends in America’s Calvinist revival, the Sovereign Grace…
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What Do You Want to Shape Your Soul?
By Kent Annan
The rain roars down. That season has arrived. The rain might as well be tears, drenching hundreds of thousands of people in tents and under tarps [after the earthquake here…
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Thank you for your Kindness, Uncle Vincent
“It’s good people like him that makes us realise what’s possible and how we can go on.” Van Badham’s said to me an hour ago as we discussed Martin Luther…
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Christian Questions
By Morf Morford
As one who has led Bible studies over several years and taught Sunday School, my goal has always been to provide searching, thoughtful reflection on the way to practical applications…
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Scripture Wasn't Written for Men Alone
By Tony Campolo
After seeing the film, The Stoning of Soraya M., it is far too easy for Christians and Jews to rush to judgments of Islam. The film raises questions not only…
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Scripture Wasn't Written for Men Alone
By Tony Campolo
After seeing the film, The Stoning of Soraya M., it is far too easy for Christians and Jews to rush to judgments of Islam. The film raises questions not only…
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Noah, Magic, and Poetry: What is a Christian?
By Jeremy John
I have always believed in magic. Perhaps I believe in magic because I would be bored by a world limned by quadratic equations. But more than that, I don’t think we’ll…
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We are all Agnostic; we just don't have enough faith to admit it!
If you were an external observer of the regular debates seen on the internet between religious people and atheists you would be forgiven for presuming that these two positions were…
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Overcoming a Theology of Oppression
By Tony Campolo
If you’ve never heard of W. J. de Kock then please keep reading. If you have then I know you’ll already want to keep going. He’s an inspiration and a…
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Before Getting Arrested… #LoveMakesAWay
Our #LoveMakesAWay nonviolent direct action movement has not only gone national, it’s gone viral. Over 20 Christian leaders have participated so far to dramatize this horrific reality that morally cannot…
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Take a picture with your heart.
By Nikole Lim
Editor’s Note: The following is the final part in a six-part series by Nikole Lim of stories painting juxtapositions of immense pain and tremendous hope in Rwanda. Read the Artist…
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What do we mean when we say, "God is in Control"?
By Tania Harris
God is in control. It’s a phrase we use often, mostly as an easy slogan when something goes wrong. “God is in control, ” we say when someone dies; when…
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15 Women of Peace
I recently received an email from Conrad Grebel College at the University of Waterloo inviting me to attend an exhibit and concert commemorating the life and work of Bertha Von…
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Break my heart for what breaks Yours …Actually on second thought, maybe don’t
Recently I had one of those moments where, surrounded by chaos and noise, the world became completely quiet. Maybe you’ve had one of those moments before, where the mayhem, the…