Jonathan Merritt
Jonathan Merritt is senior columnist for Religion News Service and a contributing writer for The Atlantic. He has published more than 2500 articles in outlets like USA Today, The Week, Buzzfeed and National Journal. Jonathan is author of "Jesus is Better Than You Imagined" and "A Faith of Our Own: Following Jesus Beyond the Culture Wars." He resides in Brooklyn, NY.
All Stories by Jonathan Merritt
What does it take to forgive someone like Dylann Roof? (COMMENTARY)
By Jonathan Merritt — June 22, 2015
(RNS) How does one muster the courage, the conviction, the moral fiber to grant such a gift to someone who has already taken so much?
What does it take to forgive someone like Dylann Roof?
By Jonathan Merritt — June 22, 2015
Family members of Emmanuel AME Church shooting victims forgive the suspected killer. How does one serve a feast of forgiveness to a person who hasn’t even ordered a single serving?
3 things you need to know about Southern Baptists’ anti-gay marriage resolution
By Jonathan Merritt — June 18, 2015
The nation's largest Protestant denomination passed an official resolution this week calling on the Supreme Court to "uphold the right of the people to define marriage as exclusively the union of a man and a woman." Here's what you need to know.
Stop making deals with God: An interview with author Doug Pagitt
By Jonathan Merritt — June 17, 2015
We all have stories about God in our head, and some of them are flat out misleading. One of the most common, according to pastor and author Doug Pagitt, goes like this: "If I’m faithful in doing this, then God promises to do that.”
Give Anne Lamott (and the rest of us) a little grace on transgender issues
By Jonathan Merritt — June 12, 2015
Bestselling author Anne Lamott incited public outrage by making offensive comments about Caitlyn Jenner. Jonathan Merritt asks, "Can we not offer each other a little grace in such a moment?"
Nancy Pearcey’s mission to reinvigorate the evangelical mind
By Jonathan Merritt — June 10, 2015
Historian Mark Noll once argued that evangelicalism was an intellectually weak movement. Nancy Pearcey hopes to lead a movement to change that.
Madeleine L’Engle’s foundation awards grant to LGBT group at Wheaton College
By Jonathan Merritt — June 5, 2015
(RNS) OneWheaton is committed to affirming LGBT students but is not officially recognized by the prominent evangelical school, which can expel students caught in homosexual behaviors.
Madeleine L’Engle’s foundation awards grant to LGBTQ group from Wheaton College
By Jonathan Merritt — June 5, 2015
OneWheaton is an unofficial LGBTQ advocacy group comprised of alumni and students from America's most prestigious evangelical college. They've just received a grant from the legacy foundation of one of America's most prestigious Christian authors.
Shepherds or shamers? The rise of church discipline in America (ANALYSIS)
By Jonathan Merritt — June 4, 2015
(RNS) Church discipline practices raise biblical and legal implications. Are these church shepherds just doing their best to care for their flocks, or are they crossing a line by shaming and shunning their so-called sinners?
Shepherds, shamers, and shunners: The rise of church discipline in America (Part 2)
By Jonathan Merritt — June 4, 2015
Some conservative Christians are promoting a more aggressive approach to church discipline. But others say this approach does more damage than good.
Shepherds, shamers, and shunners: The rise of church discipline in America (Part 1)
By Jonathan Merritt — June 3, 2015
Some conservative Christians are promoting a more aggressive approach to church discipline. But others say this approach does more damage than good.
‘To Write Love on Her Arms’ founder wrestles with faith as he seeks to inspire hope
By Jonathan Merritt — June 1, 2015
"I have a lot more questions now compared to 10 years ago," says Jamie Tworkowski. "I say 'I don't know' more, and I'm okay with that."
After being trapped inside his own body for a decade, ‘ghost boy’ shares how faith sustained him
By Jonathan Merritt — May 28, 2015
A strange illness sent Martin Pistorius into a vegetative state where, unknown to those around him, he could still perceive and hear everything around him. A decade later, he emerged to tell the story of faith amid despair.
The Christian baker who refuses LGBT couples is not a persecuted preacher
By Jonathan Merritt — May 27, 2015
A Southern Baptist college professor and blogger says that business owners who discriminate against LGBT couples are the ones Jesus called "the least of these." Here's why that doesn't jibe with the Bible itself.
Who are ‘the least of these’? Scholars say they may not be the poor
By Jonathan Merritt — May 26, 2015
(RNS) According to a growing chorus of prominent Bible scholars, Jesus was speaking about persecuted Christians rather than the poor.
