(RNS) — It was a shameful thing for evangelical pastors to be celebrating the opening of the embassy in Jerusalem while the Israeli army was killing dozens of Palestinian protesters.

(RNS) — If I had to choose a Bible verse for a sermon I would give on Earth Day this year, it would be Psalm 24, verse 1: ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.’ And I would encourage our taking an inventory of what is happening in ‘the fullness thereof.’

(RNS) — Divorce is one of life’s tragedies. But it is not futile to lift up prayers of hope.

(RNS) — I hope Vice President Pence has some private conversations with the high-level North Korean government officials who are accompanying their athletes.

(RNS) — When a quarterback throws a long pass and a player down the field makes a spectacular catch, RNS columnist Richard Mouw imagines the Lord saying to himself: ‘Nicely done!’

(RNS) — Ultimately, doctrines of racial superiority have to be destroyed in the deep places of our souls. But a smartphone can help.

(RNS) — At present many of the most hopeful occurrences of 2017 are likely hidden from our view.

(RNS) — As we pause for a day of Thanksgiving for national blessings, let us remember that a ‘transcendent reference point’ is crucial for the health of our bonds as a nation.

(RNS) — I despise Kim Jong Un, North Korea’s leader. But I offer up my prayers for peace regularly — prayers that are associated with the tears on two faces I saw while visiting a church in a village 10 hours north of Pyongyang.

(RNS) — The evangelicalism that nurtured me in my early years wasn’t — strictly speaking — ‘apolitical.’ Rather, the pattern was a political ‘quietism. Support the basic patterns of the political status quo. Be good citizens. Be proud of what your country has traditionally stood for.

I’m glad that many of my fellow evangelicals agree that we should expect Trump to be like King David and Cyrus in his leadership. The time is ripe to conduct a job performance review in this regard.

I saw no sign of it last month when I visited Harbin, a city of ten million in the northeastern province of Heilongjian.

One could argue that having an influence on public leaders more than on his theological colleagues was an intentional strategy on Niebuhr’s part.

DRIEBERGEN, Netherlands (RNS) Once a year in the Netherlands, joggers in the park stop running for two minutes. Bicyclists pull over to the side of the road. Television sets and radios are turned off. Parents hush their children. And in many villages and cities people congregate in public spaces for a communal ceremony.