Yesterday I wrote about the decline of anti-gay religion. The context was the recentFaith Angle conference at which speakers and participants discussed the shifting views of Catholics and evangelical Protestants on homosexuality. The one speaker who clearly reaffirmed his belief in the sinfulness of homosexual behavior was Russell Moore, the president of the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. Even he acknowledged that his brethren were becoming more realistic and modest in their approach to the issue. One thing I didn’t write about was Moore’s cultural view... Read more

This month I’ve watched as everyone talked about the mounting tension between the Ukraine and Russia, the Heartbleed superbug, the South Korean ferry disaster, Malaysian Airlines Flight 370, NBA team-owner Donald Sterling’s racist comments, the banana that was thrown at Dani Alves of Atletico Barcelona fame, and whatever other news items were flying around. For at least a week now, I have been following the story of the 191-234 (reports vary on the number) kidnapped school girls in Borno State... Read more

Most people in their right minds consider Sarah Palin’s statement about using waterboarding to “baptize” terrorists as insensitive at the very least. It further reinforces the notion that she will say or do nearly anything to grab a headline, even if it is at the expense of her own integrity, and perhaps that of her political cohorts or even her faith. She’d be doing all of us a favor if she’d simply stop talking publically. But in as much as... Read more

The death penalty has been part of human society for millennia, understood to be the ultimate punishment for the most serious crimes. But, should Christians support the death penalty now, especially in light of the controversial execution Tuesday in Oklahoma? This is not an easy yes or no question. On the one hand, the Bible clearly calls for capital punishment in the case of intentional murder. In Genesis 9:6, God told Noah that the penalty for intentional murder should be death:... Read more

Miles S. Mullin II is Associate Professor of Church History at the Houston campus of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He was educated at the University of Virginia (B.A.), Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div.) and Vanderbilt University (M.A., Ph.D.). He maintains broad historical and theological interests, but his main area of expertise is American religious history, specifically the interplay between religion and culture. Along those lines, his primary research focuses on evangelical history, while maintaining a strong secondary interest in African... Read more

R3 friend Rev. Dr.Wil Gafney took to Twitter to give a “mini class” on “rape marriage” in the Bible. She blogs regularly at The Rev. Wil Gafney, PhD. Check it our below. [View the story “Rape Marriage in the Bible” on Storify] Read more

Death penalty opponents and lawyers for condemned prisoners said the botched execution of a convicted in killer in Oklahoma could have a far-reaching impact on death penalty states, potentially putting the brakes at least temporarily on further use of lethal injections. Clayton Lockett, 38, struggled violently, groaned and writhed after lethal drugs were administered by Oklahoma officials Tuesday night (April 29), according to eyewitness accounts. State Corrections Director Robert Patton halted the execution, citing vein failure that may have prevented... Read more

Pittsburgh is the perfect urban laboratory,” says Bill Peduto, the city’s new mayor. “We’re small enough to be able to do things and large enough for people to take notice.” More than its size, however, it’s Pittsburgh’s new government—Peduto and the five like-minded progressives who now constitute a majority on its city council—that is turning the city into a laboratory of democracy. In his first hundred days as mayor, Peduto has sought funding to establish universal pre-K education and partnered... Read more

Keynote lecture by James T. Kloppenberg on March 27, 2014, for the conference “Beyond the Culture Wars: Recasting Religion and Politics in the Twentieth Century” held at Washington University in St. Louis. Read more

On July 1, the Rev. Shively T. J. Smith will join the Wesley Theological Seminary faculty to teach New Testament studies. “I am delighted to join Wesley’s faculty and contribute to our shared vocation of equipping leaders for the church and the world and advancing theological education,” said Smith. “From my initial visit, the community has shown itself to be a hospitable and affirming space and I look forward to the opportunities, experiences and many teachable moments that are to come.” Smith... Read more