commentary
Why the label ‘cult’ gets in the way of understanding new religions
By Mathew Schmalz — April 10, 2018
(The Conversation) — Cults are usually associated with beliefs and practices considered to be "unhealthy." But what is seen as healthy in one culture may be seen as unhealthy in another.
Pope Francis takes his critics to the woodshed
By Mark Silk — April 10, 2018
(RNS) — Cardinal Joseph Bernardin's 'seamless garment' received magisterial endorsement.
Do not be afraid
By John H. Vaughn — April 9, 2018
(RNS) — As we face relentless attacks on our rights and our lives, what role does fear play in our lives today?
Make America grateful again: Diana Butler Bass says ‘gratitude is not a happy pill’
By Jana Riess — April 9, 2018
(RNS) — Gratitude, says theologian Diana Butler Bass, is not a happy pill, nor is it about how much you're glad that you're comfortable and own stuff. In fact, it's not really about you.
Another funeral for King
By Raphael Warnock — April 6, 2018
(RNS) — 'Fifty years after Martin Luther King died, America needs to hold a national funeral for King — the faux King we have created — so that we might hear anew the real King calling us to what he called a revolution of values,' writes Raphael G. Warnock, pastor of Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church. (Commentary)
Modern-day crucifixions
By Jennifer Jones — April 6, 2018
(RNS) — Black men nationwide are still disproportionately killed by police. Each name turned hashtag reminds us that the scales of justice seem permanently tilted away from black and brown people in the United States.
King in Montgomery: A white Southern Baptist minister reflects
By Alan Cross — April 5, 2018
(RNS) — If we benefit from the status quo, we can seek to maintain it rather than recognize that a wheel of injustice might be grinding our neighbor down. King shone a light on that injustice and it often made white Christians uncomfortable. His words and legacy, if we listen, still make us uncomfortable today.
From hell to atonement, musician Audrey Assad has been quietly evolving
By Jonathan Merritt — April 5, 2018
(RNS) — 'I suppose if there is anything I could say I reject, it is the idea that God’s love and acceptance is dependent on our right belief. I no longer see how that could be possible,' said Audrey Assad.
What baseball can learn from religion
By Lauren Markoe — April 4, 2018
(RNS) — The world of religion offers clues to the causes and consequences of the present troubles. It also suggests what it will take to revive the great American pastime.
During Lent, a Christian tried praying 5 times a day
By Kate Chance — April 3, 2018
(RNS) — The more time I’ve spent around my Muslim friends, the more I’ve considered being more deliberate about my prayer life.
Mormon leader’s comments about ‘nonconsensual immorality’ draw fire
By Jana Riess — April 3, 2018
(RNS) — In General Conference, Mormon leader Quentin Cook spoke out against sexual abuse, but the language he used may have created more problems than it solved, says guest blogger Emily Jensen.
Pope Francis and hell
By Thomas Reese — April 2, 2018
(RNS) — The pope has in fact spoken of hell in the past in a way that clearly indicates that he believes in it.
Was ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ anti-Semitic?
By Jeffrey Salkin — April 2, 2018
(RNS) — There were parts of 'Jesus Christ Superstar' that troubled me. But they're not worth losing sleep over.
King convinced me to give my whole life to the church and his dream
By Malcolm Clemens Young — March 30, 2018
SAN FRANCISCO (RNS) — Above all, what most impresses me all these years later is the power of Martin Luther King Jr.’s message. It is the antithesis to the 'America First' slogan.
Don’t domesticate MLK
By Tom Krattenmaker — March 30, 2018
(RNS) — Whenever we remember the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., some people inevitably pull out a piece of sandpaper and try to smooth the sharp edges of the great civil rights prophet.
