[This is the second in a series of posts on the real Santa Claus by Adam English, author of the new book The Saint Who Would Be Santa Claus, now featured at the Patheos Book Club.] When I stepped off the plane for the first time in Bari, Italy, I was only vaguely aware of what I was doing. I wanted to find out for myself whether Santa Claus really existed. His bones were said to be buried in the crypt of the Basilica di... Read more

By Catherine Wiecher Brunell, author of Becoming Catholic, Again Most of my parenting mistakes fall into two broad categories. Sometimes I am overzealous, other times I am inexperienced. The worst is when both of these categories apply: I throttle into a situation for which I am unprepared. This combination has resulted in the worst of home haircuts for my children and a Christmas where we almost revealed Santa Claus to a 2 year old. Our son, Turner, wanted a key.... Read more

By Chris Haw Author, From Willow Creek to Sacred Heart: Rekindling My Love for Catholicism I give thanks here not for a person, but for a beloved ritual at my Church. The month of November, in the Catholic tradition, is the month of remembrance. Beginning this month, on All Saints Day, we kneel while our women cantors sing (for perhaps 15 minutes) a long litany of saints’ names. And we chant in reply, “pray for us!” Even people not officially... Read more

[This is the first in a series of posts on the real Santa Claus by Adam English, the author of the new book The Saint Who Would Be Santa Claus, now featured at the Patheos Book Club.] One time, as a personal favor to a good friend, I agreed to don a Santa suit and sit for pictures with children at the public library. The children were all under the age of two, which was fortunate for them, because anyone... Read more

We live in chameleon times. We like to think of ourselves as decent people but don’t shake that up by shining a light on our daily lives. We say we believe in family values but don’t keep score of how many marriages or “significant” relationships we go through like popcorn. We want integrity in leadership of all kinds, at all levels but get angry if anyone probes our motives and/or priorities. We want leadership but wind up with reruns of... Read more

Subversive, celebrity, radical, heretic … these are all adjectives that have been used to describe enigmatic religious leader Rob Bell. Popular pastor of the megachurch Mars Hill, Bell became one of the brightest rising stars in the evangelical world, but his penchant for theological questioning and boundary-pushing of the Gospel message, combined with unorthodox ways of communicating his message, began to draw criticism from key evangelical leaders, while drawing him legions of fans within and outside the Church. With the... Read more

By Devin Brown Author of The Christian World of The Hobbit Whether you are reading The Hobbit for the first time, rereading it for the twentieth, or simply looking forward to seeing the first of the three Hobbit films this December—here are five lines from Tolkien’s original to watch for. 1. “You can stop at thirteen and have all the bad luck you like.” Gandalf says these words to the thirteen dwarves in chapter one as they begin to have... Read more

By Laura Paskell-Brown  “A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.” –John Lennon As someone who grew up in Europe, John Haller’s text, A History of New Thought, is a fascinating insight not only into the history of New Thought itself, but also the ways in which it has emerged from and in turn influenced the American psyche. Five years ago I was living in London and, like most people I knew,... Read more

One of most spiritually significant and problematic aspects of New Thought and New Age philosophies involves its emphasis on the power of the mind and the role of thought in creating the circumstances of our lives. New Age teachers regularly proclaim that we create our own realities and that our life situation is a direct and unambiguous reflection of our thoughts. Some teachers, such as Louise Hay and the contributors to The Secret, assert that we are virtually 100% responsible... Read more