THE QUESTION: Was Jesus a Socialist? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: Well, no. For one thing, that term, as with rival capitalism, pertains to modern industrialized society. The 1st Century economy consisted mostly of hand-to-mouth subsistence agriculture, along with fishermen, small-time merchants, individual craftsmen and a tiny class of wealthy overlords. But the question above was posed this month by a Wall Street Journal column, so let’s briefly scan a few aspects of Christianity and economics. Those familiar with the New... Read more

THE QUESTION; Did Jesus Exist? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: Yes. It would be the ultimate blow to the Christian religion if Jesus, and with him the entirety of the New Testament, is totally fictional The strong consensus among historians, including non-Christians and skeptics, is that, yes. Jesus was an actual person of the 1st Century (Anno Domini!!). Yet an Ipsos poll for the Episcopal Church, released last month, showed only 76% of Americans “believe in the historical existence” of Jesus,... Read more

THE QUESTION: What do the latest statistics tell us about the worldwide Catholic Church? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: The Vatican’s Central Office of Church Statistics issued a summary report in February that says as of December 31, 2020, Catholicism had 1.36 billion adherents worldwide. That equals an impressive 17.7% of the world’s people and keeps pace with over-all population growth. The church’s gain of 16 million members over 2019 exceeds the combined populations of New York City, Los Angeles and... Read more

THE QUESTION: Why did early Christianity rise so rapidly? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: New religions appear all the time, nowhere more than in the United States, but very few ever achieve prominence and permanence. Christianity is a rare and dramatic case of a faith that triumphed. The tale is told in Rodney Stark’s classic “The Rise of Christianity” with this descriptive subtitle in the 1997 paperback edition (still on sale): “How the Obscure, Marginal Jesus Movement Became the Dominant Religious... Read more

THE QUESTION: What is “Christian nationalism”? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: “Christian nationalism” became common coinage in the U.S. fairly recently, usually raised by cultural liberals who view it with alarm, and often with “white” as an added adjective. The term is not generally embraced by those considered to be participants. As journalist Samuel Goldman remarks, to describe something as Christian nationalism “is inevitably to reject it.” The Merriam-Webster definition of plain “nationalism” is “loyalty and devotion to a nation” but... Read more

THE QUESTION: A word gets surprising media attention. What does biblical “inerrancy” mean? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: A February article by Stephen Young of Appalachian State University in North Carolina pulls the “inerrancy” of the Bible into a surprising media spotlight. Writing in the liberal religiondispatches.org, Young blames this concept for American Christian racism and “white patriarchy” that subjugates women. By coincidence, days before Young’s posting Michael F. Bird of Ridley College, an Anglican seminary in Australia, contended via the interfaith... Read more

THE QUESTION: What is a religious “cult” THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: On this somewhat delicate terrain, trusty Merriam-Webster offers us three definitions of “cult.” 1)  A small religious group “not part of a larger and more accepted religion” with beliefs many regard as “extreme or dangerous.” 2)  A situation with something or someone cared about “very much or too much,” as in “a cult of personality.” 3)  A small group of “very devoted supporters.” Note that the word can also... Read more

THE QUESTION: Is having children a moral duty for married couples? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: Pope Francis provoked a fuss at his first general audience of 2022 by remarking that “many, many couples do not have children because they do not want to, or they have just one — but they have two dogs, two cats. . . . Dogs and cats take the place of children.” He continued, “This denial of fatherhood or motherhood diminishes us; it takes away... Read more

THE QUESTION: What do U.S. churches believe on the transgender issue? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: As with American society at large, churches’ consideration of the sensitive transgender issue emerged only recently and rather suddenly, compared with their decades-long-debate over whether to leave behind the Christian tradition against gay and lesbian relationships. The religious implications go well beyond political agitation over “bathroom bills,” athletic competition, or women’s shelters. Transgenderism is part of a broader gender-fluidity movement. A recent survey by the... Read more

The Religion Guy is taking time off to celebrate Christmas so with slight changes posts this "Q & A" from December, 2013. MARY (appropriate name for this item) ASKS: Did the infant Jesus cry? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: Good one. A beloved Christmas carol says “the little Lord Jesus no crying he makes,” which would have been a tiny miracle. But newborn reality — and Christian doctrine — are better expressed by Jesus’ “tears” in “Once in Royal David’s City.” This... Read more