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December 9, 2011
State of the Church: Where Are the Young People?

Young Americans are seeking spiritual integrity, compassion, real experience and a place that encourages their questions.

In a Sept. 28 article published by the Barna Group, “Six Reasons Young Christians Leave Church,” Barna, a nationally respected non-profit research organization dedicated to spiritual development, outlines six reasons why young people stay away from churches:

• Churches seem overprotective: While many churches try to convince members to reject or avoid “worldly” influences, today’s young people are more connected to culture, media and concerns of the world than ever.

December 8, 2011
Bridging Faiths

The National Council of Churches honors five U.S. congregations for their special enthusiasm and exemplary efforts at building bridges between different faiths.

NEW YORK – Five congregations demonstrating a special enthusiasm and exemplary work for interfaith relations have been named "model interfaith engaged congregations" by the National Council of Churches.

In June, the NCC's Interfaith Relations Commission asked for nominations from its member communions and other communities affiliated with the Council of congregations that "have something important to share about interfaith engagement."

November 29, 2011
A Powerful Plea

Hopes for a major turnout of faith representatives were dashed at an opening event for this week's climate conference, but those who attended were energized by Archbishop Desmond Tutu's speech.

 DURBAN, South Africa -- Climate change may be of grave concern to many people, but that would have been hard to tell by the sparse size of the crowd that attended a faith-based rally Sunday in King's Park Stadium in Durban, South Africa.

"It was disappointing really," says Peter VanderMeulen, director of the Christian Reformed Church Office of Social Justice, who attended the rally.

November 29, 2011
Kingdom Sighting in Minneapolis

An "inter-religionist" discovers signs of God's realm breaking out in an unlikely place.

During he past few months, I've struggled hard to identify my current religious practice.  Calling myself a religious dabbler trivializes my experience, and thinking of myself—God forbid-- as a cafeteria Catholic doesn't quite hit the bull's-eye either. But since I like the safety of labels, "inter-religionist" is about as close as I can get.  Let me explain.

November 11, 2011
For LGBT Youth, Love is the Whole Story

Too often, stories of struggle and of heartache from religion (or, more accurately, from people who identify as religious) are not transformed into stories of love. And this doesn't have to happen.

My parents are really religious. My pastor said being gay was immoral. I heard that God hates fags. My church took collections to stop marriage equality. They told me about Sodom and Gomorrah. They quoted Leviticus. They told me I was evil. They told me I was a sinner. They told me I couldn’t love God. They told me I could change.

November 4, 2011
A House Divided

Churches should try behaving a little more like they're redeemed if they truly want to invite others to Christian faith.

Friedrich Nietzsche was a provocative 19th century German philosopher who is still frequently quoted. He was a severe critic of religion, especially the Christian religion. He once suggested, "The last Christian died on the cross." And concerning Christian evangelism, he said, "If the church wants the world to believe in redemption, then the church ought to look a little more redeemed."

September 23, 2011
Celebrating SBNR

Church people ought to paying more attention to a growing segment of the population: People who identify as "spiritual, but not religious," or SBNRs,

Every day, I enjoy conversations with students who fit into the category of SBNR - "spiritual but not religious."

September 23, 2011
The Necessity of Worship

Going to worship keeps a longstanding covenant at the same time it helps pass on faith to younger generations.

August 31, 2011
A Time for Creation

"Time for Creation" is a new observance of many Christian churches to emphasize God's work as Creator and humans' responsibilities as stewards of Creation.

August 24, 2011
Religious Events for 9/11 Tenth Anniversary

Sept. 11 commemorative events planned for the National Cathedral in Washington, DC, have been moved to new locations after a large crane repairing earthquake damage fell on part of the building.

Churches and other faith-based organizations around the United States are gearing up to present a message of hope, faith, tolerance and unity as the nation observes the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

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August 22, 2011
Social and Spiritual Capital

One major value of religion is its tendency to build social capital for people, creating networks of relationships that sustain them in both practical and spiritual ways.

August 11, 2011
International Day of Prayer for Peace

Each year on  Sept. 21 the World Council of Churches calls churches and parishes to observe the International Day of Prayer for Peace.

Each year on  Sept. 21 the World Council of Churches calls churches and parishes to observe the International Day of Prayer for Peace. This year the WCC is asking the 1,000 people who attended the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation in Kingston in May 2011 to offer a prayer for peace as a follow-up to that important event.

July 28, 2011
The Economy of Holiness

When economies forget  "the moral determination to care for the poorest of the poor,"  they become tyrannies that end up destroying the household of human kind, writes F. Richard Garland.

November 15, 2010
Lifestyle-Based Spirituality

Learn to live eternally here and now during a Faith and Reason seminar in Baton Rouge, LA, with Fr. Richard Rohr, director of the Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, NM.

"The Change That Changes Everything: Lifestyle-Based Spirituality"
A Two-Day "Faith & Reason" Seminar presented by Fr. Richard Rohr, executive director of the Center for Action and Contemplation, Albuquerque, NM and author of The Naked Now: Learning to See as the Mystics See.

Location: First United Methodist Church, Baton Rouge, LA

Sponsored by the D.L. Dykes Foundation and its local partners:

September 8, 2010
"Radically Faithful: Passionate Christianity Confronting Empire and Savage Inequality," Pasadena, CA.

November 28, 2011
Church AWOL on Its Call of Duty

The latest edition of an annual report on church giving shows that American Christians are doing a poor job of caring for the most vulnerable and spreading the gospel.

Adapted from empty tomb release

Unlike video gamers who reported in record numbers to buy  the new "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3," the church in the United States appears to be AWOL on its call of duty outlined in Matthew 25 and 28.

That's the conclusion of the 21st edition of The State of Church Giving, produced by empty tomb inc. as a measure of faithful Christian discipleship in America. (empty tomb uses all lower-case letters in its name).

November 28, 2011
The Lessons Of History

Not everyone holds history in high regard, and even those who do express deep concern that nations and governments do not seem to learn from it. Yet history holds four profound lessons that are urgent for us today, writes columnist Thomas Lane Butts.

One of the most treasured books in my library is a 100-page tome titled the Lessons of History, written in 1968 by Will and Ariel Durant. I have read and reread it and referenced it in many sermons, columns and essays. It is a profound book that should be read by anyone who wishes to understand the great lessons of history by the century rather than by the year. History really makes more sense that way.

November 12, 2011
Past Lessons Inform Current LGBT Struggle

Retired pastor and civil rights activist Gilbert H. Caldwell harks back to a time of racial prejudice in responding to United Methodist bishops' vow to uphold their denomination's anti-gay stances.

November 8, 2011
Why Jesus Would Occupy Wall Street

Theologian Aaron Saari draws intriguing comparisons between the aims of the Occupy Wall Street movement and the gospel of Jesus Christ.

As the Occupy Wall Street movement grows, an increasing number of Republican legislators and media personalities are claiming that the members are overwhelmingly anti-Semitic. From Newt Gingrich to Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck to Bill Kristol, the charge of anti-Semitism is becoming a common trope.[i]

November 4, 2011
Give Them Something to Eat

Thomas L. Shanklin reflects on the 2012 United Methodist General Conference in light of Jesus' teachings of radical hospitality shown in Matthew 14:15-18.

"When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, 'This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.' Jesus said to them, 'They need not go away; you give them something to eat.' They replied, 'We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.' And he said, 'Bring them here to me.' "
-- Matthew 14:15-18 (from "The Feeding of Five Thousand," NRSV*)

October 4, 2011
The Inevitability of the Rise of Progressive Christianity

The world is rapidly changing. And as surely as one day follows the next, Christian theology, as it always has (slavery, anyone?), will change right along with it. As our world grows smaller, our Christianity will grow larger, broader, more inclusive.

September 23, 2011
Studying God Online

The new Global Digital Library on Theology and Ecumenism (GlobeTheoLib) contains several hundred thousands of articles, documents and other academic resources that can accessed online free-of-charge by registered participants from anywhere in the world via Internet.

From the World Council of Churches and Globethics.net

GENEVA, Switzerland -- The World Council of Churches and Globethics.net launched an ambitious web-based theological resource Sept. 23 to redress a global imbalance of access to research materials in theology and related disciplines.

September 22, 2011
Church and State

Church and state intersect in plenty of ways this week, from the U.S. Supreme Court hearing a labor case on the "ministerial execution" to the barbarity of state-sponsored executions.

There's lots of church-state intersection in Faith and the Common Good on this first official day of fall, so let's get right to it.

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A case involving the firing of a teacher with a disability from a religious school has gone before the U.S. Supreme Court in what many see as a test of the traditional "ministerial exception" regarding hiring practices for religious organizations.

September 19, 2011
Gay Union Ban

Some 800 United Methodist clergy and laity have signed letters urging the denomination's Council of Bishops to uphold the ban on gay unions in the United Methodist Church.

More than 300 United Methodist clergy and 500 laity have signed letters urging the Council of Bishops to take a public stand supporting the denomination's position on marriage and homosexuality.

The letters respond to the pledges to bless same-sex unions signed this summer by more than 900 active and retired clergy across the United States.

September 14, 2011
Facing Up to Poverty

No applause here for those applauding the deaths of people without health insurance. Instead we offer ways to refute such barbaric attitudes with scripture.

Ever notice how, when one has been faithful in personal devotion, joyful in corporate worship, and practiced acts of love and justice, that something often comes along to kick you in the teeth?

That something this week was the report from the U.S. Census Bureau announcing that 1 in 6 Americans is now living below the poverty line. Released Sept. 13, the report shows that the overall poverty rate rose to 15.1 percent of all Americans, or 46.2 million people. The official poverty level is an annual income of $22,314 for a family of four.