Columns

America’s lack of faith in our collective power is a bigger problem than Trump

By Andre Henry — January 26, 2024
(RNS) — Americans' loss of a democratic imagination is bigger than a loss in the ballot box.

A Mormon faith beyond the performance checklist

By Jana Riess — January 26, 2024
(RNS) — 'When we really stop and reflect, we realize that in our religious performance, we're nurturing the very part of ourselves that the gospel instructs us not to feed,' says meditation teacher and LDS author Thomas McConkie.

Is the university good for the Jews? With Mark Oppenheimer

By Jeffrey Salkin — January 25, 2024
How did the university become a battle ground for Jewish identity? A conversation with Mark Oppenheimer reveals some interesting nuances to that question.

As we face the grind of a Trump-Biden clash, imagine them buddies for a moment

By Karen Swallow Prior — January 24, 2024
(RNS) — Sometimes fakes serve to remind us of what we rightly desire and ought to pursue.

That SuperJew poster from the 1960s

By Jeffrey Salkin — January 23, 2024
(RNS) — A memory of a poster from the 1960s made me think, deeply, about Israel.

To bless or not to bless?

By Phyllis Zagano — January 23, 2024
(RNS) — Rome's move to allow LGBTQ couples to be blessed has been misunderstood by many, and misrepresented by others.

Jonah is a prophet for today

By Thomas Reese — January 22, 2024
(RNS) — God sending Jonah to Nineveh would be like telling a modern-day rabbi to preach in Iran or Gaza.

I’m the collateral damage of Mormon racism and homophobia

By Jana Riess — January 19, 2024
(RNS) — 'Everyone knew before I did that the church was white on purpose,' writes guest columnist Carlene Fraser. 'The Saints they were 'perfecting' didn’t look like me. Think like me.'

Converts are Jewish. Period.

By Jeffrey Salkin — January 18, 2024
We are experiencing the greatest surge in antisemitism in recent memory. And, still, people want to become Jewish.

Does the Constitution depend on morality and religion?

By Mark Silk — January 16, 2024
(RNS) — A cautionary tale from John Adams.

Capitalizing on his teachings on sex, Pope Francis’ critics shame themselves

By Thomas Reese — January 16, 2024
(RNS) — Jesus didn’t spend his time obsessing over people’s sex lives.

The Jews stand accused: From deicide to genocide

By Jeffrey Salkin — January 16, 2024
(RNS) — The accusation is genocide. But its roots are ancient. And ugly.

Dealing with racism in the Book of Mormon

By Jana Riess — January 12, 2024
(RNS) — The Book of Mormon could teach us some hard truths about racism if we're brave enough to listen, say co-authors Fatimah Salleh and Margaret Olsen Hemming.

Israel’s crimes in Gaza may be condemned at the Hague. The real victory is already won.

By Omar Suleiman — January 12, 2024
(RNS) — After nearly 80 years, Israel is a defendant at the Hague.

A new biblical epic, ‘The Book of Clarence,’ captures the political side of the messiah

By Andre Henry — January 11, 2024
(RNS) — An irreverent biblical comedy counters decades of whitewashed and stiff-necked biblical narratives.
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