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For years, I have sat in dialogue rooms across from people whose politics, experiences, and understanding of the place we both call home were very different from mine.…
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Evangelicalism and the Future
By Steve ChalkeSome 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 HuckinsI 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 HarrisLast 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 WatsonKatra 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 MorfordFrom 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 BrayAbiding 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 HuckinsThrough 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 RindgeThe 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 LeaGrowing 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 EditorWith 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 FloodOver 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 VestalDefinitely 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 CampoloIt 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 BalesArt 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 MorfordBut 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 PopeWithout 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 NewloveLet 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 CoreyA 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 GobleA 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 BastedoAccording 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 CoreyI 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 EditorMake 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 VestalThose 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 JohnWe 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 BalesWe 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 AnnanThe 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 MorfordAs 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 CampoloAfter 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 CampoloAfter 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 JohnI 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 CampoloIf 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 LimEditor’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 HarrisGod 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…
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Is it Sinful for Christians to Attend Church?
Throughout the history of Christianity believers in Christ have found ways to rationalize the dangerous behavior of attending church. They point to verses such as Col. 1:18 He is also…
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Disturbing the Present: A Post-Mandela South Africa
“There is no improving the future without disturbing the present.” Catherine Booth, co-founder of the Salvation Army “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:…
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One Reason Atheism Doesn’t Really Answer Anything
Most people don’t really want to live only according to narrowly defined material facts. Most of us try to direct our human primate evolutionary process along ethical non-material lines. We impose…
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If It Weren’t for Jesus, I Might be Pro-Death Too
Southern Baptist leader Albert Mohler wrote a piece this week defending the death penalty. In his 1200 word argument for why Christians should support the death penalty, he does not…
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Steve Chalke: He's Not an Evangelical, He's Not One of Us!
It seems that the UK evangelical church has got itself into a bit of a tizzy. Baptist mover and shaker the Rev Steve Chalke, who leads the much respected Oasis…
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I’m done with living a ‘good life’! So I’m making these 3 promises
By Matt DarvasLast week two things happened: I turned twenty-six, and I watched from Nepal as a group of my mates in Australia went to court after staging a ‘prayer vigil’ in Foreign Minister Julie Bishop’s office for…
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Being Born Again is Not about Going to Heaven
I have been a Christian for about 30 years. In that time my theology has changed a lot. When I was 17 I used to believe that working to alleviate…
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Love Should Never Include Disclaimers: Why Christians Need to Stop Trying to “Fix” People
There was a time when I thought it was my Christian duty to point out anything I thought someone was doing wrong. I called out teachers for being too hard…
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An Announcement from Shane Claiborne
Do you remember that old tale “The Little Engine that Could”? I heard it growing up — a story about a big train that needs to cross over a huge…
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5 Church-Types to Probably NOT Avoid, but Embrace
By Kurt WillemsRecently I reflected upon 5 Church-Types to Probably Avoid. My list (which for the explanation of each point you will need to check out that post as well) was as follows:…
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Unified in Our Common Humanity
By Nikole LimEditor’s Note: The following is Part 5 in a six-part series by Nikole Lim of stories painting juxtapositions of immense pain and tremendous hope in Rwanda. Read the Artist Statement,…
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Sociological Sources of Agnosticism
By Tony CampoloThere is a field of study within the discipline of sociology that fails to get the attention that it deserves. It is called the sociology of knowledge. Its students examine…
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Exclusion is a powerful way to silence dissenting voices: Steve Chalke & the EA
Following the much publicised statements made by UK evangelical leader Rev Steve Chalke revealing that he could no longer support the exclusion of gay people from the church, he himself…
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Record Profits, Income Inequality, Global Poverty, and a New Jubilee? – An Interview with Eric LeCompte
Eric LeCompte is the Executive Director of Jubilee USA, where he represents a diverse coalition of faith communities in the common cause of eradicating extreme poverty and building an economy…
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The War on Traditional Notions of Narrative, Order and Beauty Has Failed
The war on traditional notions of narrative, order and beauty has failed. Representational, story-driven movies are embraced by most people, rather than the installation and performance art favored by big galleries…
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Identifying with the Oppressor
By Nikole LimEditor’s Note: The following is Part 4 in a six-part series by Nikole Lim of stories painting juxtapositions of immense pain and tremendous hope in Rwanda. Read the Artist Statement,…
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Missing the Point
Yesterday, I stumbled across an Op-Ed piece on CNN’s blog. Unsurprisingly, it was written about the recent controversial execution by lethal injection Tuesday in Oklahoma – a ‘botched execution’ that went so wrong…
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Separation of Church and State
By Morf MorfordSeparation of Church and State is central to American identity, law and politics. But you’d never know it from the intimate, perhaps even obscene embrace of religion and politics in…
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Easter Made Me Do It! On Scapegoats, Asylum Seekers and Being Arrested
There are 1, 138 children in offshore indefinite detention. We intend to stay and pray in Morrison’s office until we receive an answer as to when they will be released. I…
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Botched Oklahoma Execution Reveals Self-Deception
At 6:23pm on Tuesday, the state of Oklahoma initiated its effort to kill Clayton D. Lockett. Twenty minutes later, after being declared unconscious by a physician, Lockett cried out, “Oh…
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My Trip to Death Row
By RLC EditorI walked through the gates and had no idea what to expect. As I waited for one gate in particular to open a guard across the chain links remarked, “you…
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The Problem with the National Day of Prayer
Several years ago the organizers of the National Day of Prayer were selling on their website a photograph of a darling, very young girl with eyes closed, caressing an American…
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UCC Church Sues State for Marriage Equality
Never before has a major Christian denomination sued state government in the United States over their marriage laws. At least until today, that is. This morning, representatives of the national…
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The Beauty of Baptism & Sister Sarah Palin
Oh, Sarah Palin. So you’ve most likely heard Sarah Palin used baptism as a metaphor for waterboarding terrorists. (I mean I heard and I’m in Australia!) I found out when…
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URGENT ALERT: Stop the Electric Chair in Tennessee
URGENT ALERT: Today is the last day to stop the electric chair in TN. Your voice is needed: Call Gov. Haslam 615-741-2001 ext. 4 — and let him know you…
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You Can’t Make Me
By Morf Morford“You can’t make me” is the rallying cry of the toddler. Oddly enough, it has also become the rallying cry of many in our culture. It is never the cry…