Most churches and theological traditions have their controversies, spats, factions, and schisms. Unfortunately, that is to be expected among groups of people with strong beliefs. One would think, though, that Unitarian Universalists would be relatively immune from internal controversies over doctrine, morality, or practice. After
The always amusing Alexandra Petri of the Washington Post writes about allegations that the word “whom” is doomed. The Whos down in Whoville are perfectly safe. But the Whoms, down in Whomville, having staid, WASPy dinners of roast beast and refusing to pass Little Susie
A group of Bible-believing Christians has formed the Evangelical Immigration Table to promote immigration reform. It is promoting what it is calling the “I Was a Stranger” Challenge. They give you 40 Bible passages that have to do with how we should treat immigrants. They
Nine out of ten young people leave the church as soon as they graduate. That is, churches are losing 90% or (in another version) 88% of their children. Have you heard that? Has your congregation, alarmed at these statistics, started elaborate youth group programs or
Economist Steven Pearlstein has published an article in the Washington Post entitled “Is capitalism moral?” It’s balanced and nuanced, giving the views of both conservative apologists for capitalism and its liberal critics. I’ll give you a sampling after the jump and then raise some additional
Thomas Holgrave says that the old distinctions among conservative Christians have faded and that the new divide–evident among both Protestants and Catholics–is between what he calls “evangelical conservatives,” who are strong on doctrine, and “liturgical conservatives,” who seek a richer mode of worship. He calls
You know about how Nixon taped everything that went on in the White House, a bit of historical preservation that blew up in his face with the Watergate scandal. Well, it was his predecessor, Lyndon Baines Johnson, who first wired the Oval Office. Now the
Friends, you simply must read the essay that friend-of-this-blog Lars Walker has written on Christian fantasy for The Intercollegiate Review (edited by another friend-of-this-blog Anthony Sacramone). It’s beyond excellent in its account of what fantasy is, what it does, and what’s involved in writing a
A large and growing majority of Americans–58%–now support gay marriage, according to a new poll. What are we to make of that? Where does that leave conservative Christians who believe that marriage is not just a social construction that can be changed at will? Are
Twenty-three years ago, thieves dressed like police officers robbed the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum of Boston, taking 13 masterpieces of the world’s art. One of them is one of my favorite paintings: Rembrandt’s “The Storm on the Sea of Galilee.” (I love the turmoil and
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