Over at Darkwood Brew, the creative online worship community that blends contemplative practices, jazz music and skype video guests, the Rev. Eric Elnes is getting ready to start a series on Hope. Read more

How can we have peace in the Middle East when there's none at home? Most violence in the United States is not the picture of global terrorism; rather, it is the faded photo of our personal relationships. Read more

"I believe that the vast majority of all religious believers--whether Muslim, Christian, Jewish—are merciful, compassionate and open to learning about each other. That’s why I am encouraged by interfaith dialogues that discover common ground and by the friendships that are beginning to grow across former boundaries." The Director of the International Forgiveness Institute shares some examples of inter-religious friendship and compassion. Read more

In the midst of these raising tides of anger and xenophobia, the creation of the Claremont Lincoln University is like a small beacon of light in the foggy ocean — redirecting us to another shore, by inviting us to live in the midst of the beauty embedded in our many religious traditions. Read more

One of the challenges I’ve had in my ordination journey is to live within the liturgy, so I’ve taken extra care since meeting with my commission on ministry in July to seek out ways that I can think more liturgically as preparation for the priesthood. So as an exercise in thinking liturgically, I prepared a Eucharistic liturgy for the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks Read more

The new book "Is God a Christian?" is a beautifully-written essay promoting religious pluralism from a Christian perspective. Much of it is an argument against fundamentalism in all religions, and an argument for openness, toleration, and compassion among the world’s faiths. Read more

"Where there is no vision, the people perish... " Proverbs 29:18, Bible, King James Version. What's your vision for America? Read more

We should clarify precisely what kind of “Christian” Anders Breivik is. Because, as it turns out, he’s not much of a Christian at all, at least by ordinary definitions of the term. Read more

[Editor’s Note: This is the third and final post in a series by Devin Murphy, a theologically conservative Christian who attended the recent Wild Goose Festival in North Carolina.  Read his first post, “The Emergent Church and Me: A Disclaimer,” here.] Conversations You Don’t Forget About — My final* entry on my time at the Wild Goose Festival Possibly my favorite moment at The Wild Goose Festival began when I got to meet Mark Scandrette. I didn’t know a lot... Read more

Do we not expect some goodies from God if we give God our time, however small, however grudging? It is a question we need constantly to ask ourselves. Do we worship our God simply because we can do nothing else? Do we serve our God simply because we can do nothing else? Just how often are we bargaining Jacob? Good questions indeed. Read more