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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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The Age of Intimacy – A different look at our cultural struggle over sexuality
By Yaholo Hoyt
When Alfred Kinsey first published his work in 1948, it was the first time society really began to face its sexual condition. This spark continued into a blaze, spawning what…
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Binary and Quantum Morality: Two lads, a prostitute, morality and quantum computing
By Mal Green
A recent article I wrote on Redemptive Morality made reference, in passing, to the current marriage equality debate raging in much of the English-speaking, Western world. Almost all the comments…
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Are there Any Solid Arguments Against Same-Sex Marriage?
By Morf Morford
Our current cultural discussion of same-sex marriage is peculiar on many levels. It is not at all like our usual political, social or philosophical upheavals with the predictable ideological fault…
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Why Google’s “War on Easter” is offensively Christlike
Yesterday was Easter. It was also Cesar Chavez’s birthday. Google decided to put Cesar Chavez’s face on its search page today and all hell broke loose among the professional agitators…
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Am I a Christian Bigot?
When Christians engage in culture wars, theology can quickly transform into bigotry, and the gospel of Christ is often abandoned for a spirit of hatred, bitterness and judgmental accusations. As…
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Taking Good Friday Liturgy to the Streets
Liturgy and worship were never meant to be confined to the cathedrals and sanctuaries. Liturgy at its best can be performed like a circus or theater – making the Gospel…
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Another Baptist for Marriage Equality
By Jill McCrory
Tuesday morning I was walking from the Interfaith Service for Love and Justice toward the Supreme Court with fellow clergy members singing “This little light of mine, I’m going to…
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Where Have all the Penises Gone?
I am writing this from Rome, the epicentre of the empire that was. Today was spent walking around Vatican City, the religious epicentre of the empire that was. Aside from…
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Supreme Court Debates Same-Sex Marriage – Should We?
By Micah Bales
I was raised in a household that was openly affirming of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered folks long before that was commonplace in American society. In the early 1990s, I…
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Jesus, at Least, Opposed the Death Penalty
In an act that echoed the backroom negotiations of Temple court lawyers 2, 000 years ago, Senator Thom Goolsby (R-New Hannover) pushed a bill through Senate committee on Tuesday of…
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RLC Reader Reflects on Same-sex Marriage Cases before the SCOTUS
By RLC Editor
A regular RLC reader sent in their thoughts on the landmark same-sex marriage cases before the Supreme Court today and tomorrow. We are publishing their thoughts with their permission: SCOTUS…
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In the Midst of Tension and Challenges, Community Presents Unexpected Gifts
By RLC Editor
Over the past 20 years the notion of and attraction to community has altered. And no one has experienced it more than Chris Heuertz. He was mentored by Mother Teresa,…
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Is Preaching Nonviolence Bad for Evangelism?
By Kurt Willems
Many in the evangelical realm, especially pastors and lay leaders committed to church growth, believe that proclaiming the revolutionary vision of nonviolence and Kingdom allegiance is antithetical to evangelism. In…
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Update: Duane Buck on Death Row
Our brother Duane Buck, known as “Preacher Buck”, is facing the death penalty in TX, but a movement has risen up to stand against it. Here’s the petition: www.change.org/petitions/harris-county-district-attorney-mike-anderson-grant-duane-buck-a-resentencing-hearing Above…
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The F Word Part 2
By Anonymous
First off, let me say how much I appreciate the encouraging comments—it means a lot, more than I can explain. It’s a bit strange laying out the most intimate parts…
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A Church In Recovery
By Micah Bales
I just read a really solid blog post from James Tower, a seminary student at George Fox Evangelical Seminary in Oregon. He writes about his lifelong experience of recovery from…
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Another Gospel: Salvation is Not the Purpose of Faith
By Morf Morford
Human history could easily be defined as the study of the human evasion, distortion and avoidance of the claims, character and calling of Christ. If there had never been anything…
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What does Micah 6:8 really mean?
Many U.S. evangelicals engage Scripture from a hermeneutic of privilege today, which at best fosters a vague comprehension of Christianity. This privileged reading of Scripture allows believers to envision ourselves…
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Picking Up My Drum: what this white guy learned from Uncle Richard
I’m sitting here in seat 27B, about 35, 000 feet over the Dakotas, coincidentally the land the late Richard Twiss grew up on. I’ve just spent an emotionally exhausting weekend…
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Remembering Gordon Cosby, a Secret Legend
Wednesday, I woke up on the first day of Spring to the news that our brother Gordon Cosby died. Here’s the message from the community there in DC: It is…
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Humankind Water – Part of the Solution on World Water Day
By RLC Editor
In advance of World Water Day, we had the opportunity to sit down with TJ Foltz, the President of Humankind Water, an unconventional company which exists entirely to be a…
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INTERVIEW: Rob Bell on Why He Supports Gay Marriage
By RLC Editor
Our friends at Odyssey Networks recently sat down with Rob Bell to discuss his statement in favor of gay marriage. “What we’re seeing right now in this day, I believe…
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The Economy and a Pair of Shoes
The other morning, after dreaming to the tune of the constant patter of rain on the tin roof of my house, I woke early to enjoy a morning stroll through…
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My Frustration with Bell, Clinton and Obama on Marriage Equality
I know this may not be a popular position to take among my readers. After all, the last time I wrote anything even remotely critiquing or questioning Rob Bell, I…
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The Reason: Answering the Question, "What Am I Meant to be Doing?"
NOTE: Andy expounds on his new song “The Reason” below the music video I meet so many people, young men in particular, who spend much of their twenty-something lives asking…
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Was the Iraq War Worth It? A Christian Reflection for the Tenth Anniversary of the Invasion
With the arrival of the tenth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq many are asking, “Was it worth it?” As one who publicly opposed the war in the pulpit, in…
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Your Privilege is Showing
By Morf Morford
Almost every day it seems, another politician or public figure ‘changes’ their position on what had been, until that time, a ‘moral issue’. The ironies abound, but the self-serving cowardice…
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Five Questions From the Steubenville Rape Case
(Note: This post contains some frank and graphic discussions of sex and sexuality.) Two boys from a Steubenville Ohio high school (I’ve opted not to use their names, though they…
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RIP, Rob Bell
Some evangelicals are now not only saying, ‘Farewell, Rob Bell’ but actually declaring him dead to evangelicalism. RIP, Rob Bell. As if the ‘Love Wins’ controversy wasn’t enough, in the…
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We Can Live the Love We See in Jesus – Lent Week 4 SERVICE
As we approach Easter this lent we think of our own participation in mobs that need victims to find their identity. We think about how Jesus takes the place of…
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The F Word
By Anonymous
Editor’s Note: Reaction was so strong to this anonymous piece that the author penned a Part 2. You can read it here. I grew up reading comic books; it was…
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For the American part of me…..I Am Sorry (My Confession)
By Matt Young
A couple of weeks ago Joel McKerrow shared an amazing post , “For the Christian part of me…I am sorry“. It is one part of a four-part artistic video series in which…
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You can’t fall off the floor – and other profound and perhaps obvious life lessons
By Morf Morford
“You modern men, you children of reason, cannot begin to appreciate love as pure bliss and divine serenity.” ― Leopold von Sacher-Masoch “It’s not the laughter of someone who claims…
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Just In: Maryland to Abolish Death Penalty!
THIS JUST IN… Big news. Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley is poised to sign a bill to abolish the death penalty in the state. Earlier today the state legislature passed the…
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Pope Francis: A Social Justice Pope?
By Micah Bales
The resignation of Pope Benedict XVI made it clear that we are observing a pivotal moment in church history. Benedict has self-consciously acted as a transitional pope, living to see his own…
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Redemptive Morality: Non-Traditional Marriage and Les Mis
By Mal Green
Events over the past few months in the United Kingdom, United States, Australia and New Zealand have aroused corporate and individual outpourings of moral angst from Christians concerned at the…
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Pope Francis Calls Out the Church
Only a day into his papacy, and I’ve got to admit, Pope Francis has my attention. In an editorial piece on the Sojourners website today, Jim Wallis cited a surprising…
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Ten Years Later: Remembering Iraq
By RLC Editor
Subversive Interfaith Friendships in a World at War THE GOSPEL OF RUTBA: War, Peace, and the Good Samaritan Story in Iraq Media contact: Will Bower of Allen Media Strategies will@allenmediastrategies.com / 202-365-2536 In…
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The Meaning of Violence
I believe every act of violence is also a message that needs to be understood. Violence should not be answered just by greater violence but by real understanding. We must…
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What If Jesus Was Serious?
By Matt Young
The other day I had a thought. It was birthed out of my browsing and random readings of the ramblings of fellow bloggers/kingdom of God expounders. The thought: What if…
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An Open Letter to Tim Tebow
By Emily Timbol
Tim, I’ve been following your career for years—but not by choice. I went to Bartram Trail High School in Jacksonville, the rival of the school you later played football for,…
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The Necessity of Suffering – It must go through the cross
In this past month my family and I have been journeying through a real stressful time. For the past month I have been house bound recovering from serious spinal surgery.…
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Two Afghan Kids Killed by NATO Troops
Horrific news from our friends in Kabul. Last weekend 2 kids, age 7 and 8, were killed by NATO forces while herding cattle in the Uruzgan Province in Afghanistan. The…
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Reversing Exclusion of the Other
God dignifies all of humanity, and asks us to do the same. Even (perhaps especially?) those who are different. Tracing the overarching narrative of scripture, one can see even in…
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For the Christian part of me…I am sorry
I stood at the back of the bar and listened to the lament of the poet. A sorrowful keening of being misunderstood, of being told that who he was simply…
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Our Words & The Living Word
By Micah Bales
One of the greatest strengths of the Quaker tradition is that each of us is encouraged to discover the risen presence of Jesus for ourselves. It is not enough to read about…
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RAWtools: AK47s into Farm Tools
Saturday afternoon at The Justice Conference, we transformed a semi-automatic weapon into garden tools. Watch it happen: Our Mennonite blacksmith friends, Mike and Fred, have been inspired by the “beat your swords…
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Writing in the Dirt: The Choice Between Being Right and Being Like Jesus
By Morf Morford
How many times have we seen a crowd of men, young and old, eager to judge – and condemn – a single woman for their own sins? It’s just another…
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Community As Sacrament…Why Does It Matter?
By Jon Huckins
A couple months ago I was sitting in the living room of one of the families a part of NieuCommunities here in Golden Hill (San Diego) listening to Rob Yackley describe the three…
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Donor, Know Thy Charity: Where do your donations go?
Nearly everyone has felt the pinch of the economic slump in the past five years. But despite tough times, Americans tend to be a remarkably generous nation of people. According…
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Jesus Wants to Invite You Into His Heart: Lent Week 3 PRAYER
It’s a beautiful thing when people “invite Jesus into their hearts”. Yet if this doesn’t lead to saying yes to Jesus’ invitation into God’s heart for the world, tragically it…
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Sexual Brokenness in the Church: Confessions of a Pastor and Sex-Addict
By T.C. Ryan
Sundays had always been challenging for me. But they became excruciating. By the time I blew up my life, every Sunday morning after awaking I spent a full hour trying…
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Gangs or the Gospel: Competing for the Lives of our Youth
As I work with churches and communities groups developing strategies to reach “at-risk” youth two things are very clear. First, what was once considered a problem amongst inner city youth…
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The Trials, Challenges, and Triumphs of Pope Benedict
By Tony Campolo
Pope Benedict has been a strong leader for a Catholic Church that has become destabilized. He’s reaffirmed with strong convictions the traditional morals and values of Catholicism at a time…
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“The missionaries brought the Bread of Life, but we choked on the packaging.”
“When the missionaries came, they brought the Bread of Life. But alas, we choked on the cellophane it was wrapped in.” Those were words I heard over and over as…
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The Cross and the Calling
By Morf Morford
There are those who would make Christianity a belief system, and those who argue that it is not a religion but a relationship. Outsiders would say, by any historic definition,…
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Jesus’ Name is Alecia. Really?
By Jon Huckins
Ruby and I were going for a long stroll as Janny put in one of her last long days of work before going on maternity leave. Because I know that…
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Building a Better World… One Home at a Time
Philadelphia has over 20, 000 abandoned houses, and folks lost count of the vacant lots after about 30, 000. We’ve got 700 abandoned factories, with over 150, 000 lost jobs. …
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This Lent Find Your Calling: NO to the Religious justifications of War & Ecocide
Irenaeus in the second century said: “The glory of God is a human being fully alive.” Have you ever felt fully alive? Like your life was on fire with the…
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When and How I Changed My Mind About Civil Disobedience
By Tony Campolo
It was in the early ‘60s, and the civil rights movement, along with the Vietnam War were headline news items. Civil disobedience was being practiced by students on campuses of…
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RLC Podcast: Tony Campolo on Benedict's Resignation, Magdalene Laundries and more…
By RLC Editor
This week on the RLC Podcast, “Across the Pond, ” Tony Campolo discusses the impact of Pope Benedict XVI’s impending resignation and what some of the underlying reasons may have…
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Forty Days of Lent: An Almost Amish Journey Toward a Slower, Simpler, More Sustainable Life
By Nancy Sleeth
Use this Lenten season as a time to grow closer to God and simplify your life. Try a new suggestion from this list each day and experience the stronger relationships…
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Should We Give Up God For Lent?
By Micah Bales
I’m sorry but the article you are looking for has been removed. You can read it at the author’s personal blog.
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RLC Exclusive Film Premier on Creative Civil Disobedience
By Tony Campolo
Protest has evolved since my days as a professor at the University of Penn. Please do not misunderstand, I’m in no way saying there isn’t still a place for sit-ins…
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Hearts That Poop Chocolate Kisses
Last night I forced my three children to sit at the kitchen table to write letters and draw pictures for the children we sponsor through Compassion International. (I know, I…
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Love Your Enemies …Sort Of?
I was looking online for some graphics about love I could use for a project on which I’d been working. I came across pictures of bumper stickers and posters that…
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Lent Like God’s New World Is Underway: An Introduction
How might our contemplation during Lent be transformed if we kept these two often forgotten realities at the forefront: Resurrection = God’s new world is underway The Cross is how…
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The Only Way Out is Through (A Lenten Reflection)
(I decided to share some meditations I wrote for Chalice Press a few years ago for their Lenten Meditation book. Here’s hoping these help guide you through this time of…
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Progressive Christianity Is As Broken As Evangelicalism: Here’s How to Fix It
I don’t think there will be some new age of religion dawning in America anytime soon unless a lot of people change their minds about worship. The dream of progressive…
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When Christ Returns…Will He Find Faith?
By Morf Morford
There are the ‘difficult sayings’ of Jesus and then there are the verses like Luke 18:8 where Jesus seems wistful to the point of despair as he seems to wonder…
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Tony Campolo on the Impending Resignation of Pope Benedict XVI
By RLC Editor
This morning, Pope Benedict XVI announced his plans to become the first Pope in over 600 years to resign the post. Benedict, 85, cited his advanced age and diminished strength…
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Papa Ratzi’s Rare Resignation–Pope bows out, first time since Middle Ages
By Chris Haw
Well, news has broken that the heir of St. Peter’s key-wielding authority in Rome is resigning. I offer a few words of contemplation to the RLC readership–many of whom I…
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Why Do It, Nelson Mandela?
Editor’s Note: This piece by Jamie Arpin-Ricci is part of the conversation on February’s Theme – Civil Disobedience As with many other teenagers, when I first learned of the idea…
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We Miss You Richard
By RLC Editor
Yesterday, the world lost a great voice and a beautiful man. Richard’s impact on Christianity and those around him cannot be overstated. Regarding Red Letter Christians, Richard was one of…
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The Passing of Richard Leo Twiss
By RLC Editor
Photo Above: Richard closes out the 2012 RLC Gathering on December 14, 2012. Please pray for the family of Richard Twiss. Richard suffered a massive heart attack on Wednesday and…
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"Don't Tell Anyone" – Jesus' warning against always expressing right belief
Jesus and the twelve had made the 25 mile trek off the shores of the Sea of Galilee, and stopped to rest outside the district of Caesarea. They sat along…
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"Don't Tell Anyone" – Jesus' warning against always expressing right belief
Jesus and the twelve had made the 25 mile trek off the shores of the Sea of Galilee, and stopped to rest outside the district of Caesarea. They sat along…
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Why I Think Jesus Would Bake a Cake for a Same-Sex Marriage
“Jesus appeared to ‘condone’ what his community considered sinful all the time.” Aaron Klein, a Baker in Oregon, may face up to $50, 000 in fines, for refusing to bake…
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When God No Longer Hates Fags
The very mention of the name, ‘Westboro Baptist Church’ induces a fierce anger in the best of us. An acrid taste at the back of the throat. These are the…
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The Wall, Children, and Hamas: My Trip to Gaza
By Tim Costello
World Vision has been working in Gaza the land of Samson, Goliath and the Philistines since 2009. I visited Gaza last week. Our agricultural partners are brilliant and making a…
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John Piper, Women in Combat, and How Gender Roles Fall Short of the Glory of Humankind
Co-Ed Combat and Cultural Cowardice, an article written by John Piper in 2007, has resurfaced in light of the U.S. military’s decision to let women serve in combat. I’m posting…
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A Year of Eating Locally … for the Peace of the City
By RLC Editor
At the end of this past December, my wife, Liz and I made a commitment to spend at least 50% of our grocery money at vendors in our immediate neighborhood. …
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Stop celebrating Martin Luther King Jr.
By Matt Rindge
Last month America engaged in its annual ritual of misremembering Martin Luther King, Jr. Although Rev. Dr. King often indicted what he called the “triple evils of racism, economic exploitation…
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God Isn't on Ray Lewis' side…or anyone's for that matter
Earlier this week, it was reported that one in four Americans believes that God ‘plays a role in determining which team wins’ at sporting events. Additionally, more than half of Americans…
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Civil Disobedience as Prayer
By RLC Editor
Editor’s Note: This piece is part of RLC’s February Theme: Civil Disobedience One way of seeing jail today is to regard it as the monastery. In a society preparing for…
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RLC Podcast: Tony Campolo on Steve Chalke, Women Leadership and more…
By RLC Editor
This week on the RLC Podcast, “Across the Pond, ” Tony Campolo discusses his good friend Steve Chalke’s decision to publicly come out in favor of same-sex relationships. Steve is…
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Changing the Question about Suffering
The chapter on sin from Timothy Keller’s The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism includes a short discussion of sin’s cosmic consequences. Because of sin, there is…
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Following Jesus: The Best Gun Control Ever!
By Kurt Willems
The Central Valley of California is similar to most of rural America. It’s an area with lots of traditional folks, many who love God and desire to serve Christ in…
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From the Block to the Pulpit: Shot Callers in the Hood
A shot caller is “an individual in a gang or neighborhood who has a high status.” This person “calls the shots” but he doesn’t carry it out – he’s already…
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Civil Disobedience and Discipleship to Jesus
By John Dear
In 1993, Philip Berrigan, two friends and I walked on to the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base near Goldsboro, N.C., through thousands of soldiers, to one of the 75 F15e…
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The Fairy Tale of Gun Control
At the risk of giving my readers whiplash, I followed up a romantic short story on my blog with a brief commentary on the Newtown tragedy. Let me begin by…
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Did Jesus Ever Sin?
Most Christians’ first reaction to this question is to answer this with a resounding “Of course not!” After all, he was the Son of God; he had to be blameless…
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On Super Bowl Sunday, 3 in 10 Americans believe God will play a role in determing which team wins
By RLC Editor
Forget the poor and oppressed, is God actually concerned with…sports? A new survey released yesterday by the Public Religion Research Institute found that nearly 3 in 10 Americans (27%) believe…
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From Soldier to Pacifist
By Matt Young
I have been a soldier in the U.S. Army for a little over 2 years. I have been a soldier-at-heart, for the past 7 years. When I was 13, I…
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Cain’s Warning: Sandy Hook, Guns and Being Pro-Life
By Morf Morford
If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; its desire is for you, but you must…
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Re-discovering Christianity as a Movement — from the streets of Bangkok
By Matt Wilson
Editor’s Note: These are Matt Wilson’s reflections from the first , in Bangkok. When it comes to being a Christian I’ve got my doubts about lots of things, but I’m…
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“That’s the Kingdom. I Want In.”
I was sitting in church, my second year of seminary, when I noticed a woman entering at the back of the sanctuary. She was accompanied by a young man in…
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Christian Utopia and the Body Politic
By Greg Dill
American Christians have for centuries envisioned a Christian utopia in which their society is governed by Christian officials with Christian laws and morality in place. After all, this is what…
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I Hate Loving Mark Driscoll
Rev. Mark Driscoll, founder of Mars Hill church, has a true gift. Just when I think I’m making at least a modicum of progress toward tolerance – if not actual…
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Les Misérables: Valjean or Javert?
If the soul is left in darkness, sins will be committed. The guilty one is not he who commits the sin, but the one who causes the darkness. ~Monseigneur Bienvenu,…