When we count objects in our everyday lives, our minds can generally get by with simply distinguishing between one, two, three, and “many.” So what happens when we’re confronted with thousands, millions, and billions? These numbers are hard to conceptualize … read more
Christians have many, often highly contested, words for describing the Bible—inspired or authoritative, trustworthy or inerrant, and so on. In fact, Christians can spend so much time arguing over inspiration and authority that we easily overlook Scripture’s other qualities. One … read more
American religion isn’t declining—it’s transforming. We all know the statistics. Forty percent of Millennials describe themselves as nonreligious, and most likely that number will rise for Gen Z. This spring, the Southern Baptist Convention announced that its membership had shrunk … read more
Time has become a fluid concept as many of us have been at home, sheltering in place, unmoored from our rhythms and routines that normally mark the passage of time. And so somehow, just like that, it’s already May. May means spring … read more
I was watching the Global Citizen concert that aired April 18, enjoying especially seeing three Keith Urbans singing a wonderful rendition of Steve Winwood’s “Higher Love.” Afterward Urban provided a shout out of gratitude to all the health care workers … read more
“All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.” That is what Dame Julian of Norwich (1342—1416) heard Jesus tell her in a vision and the message has comforted many ever since. … read more
I was at the final Why Christian conference last spring when Rachel Held Evans gave one of her last public talks, which was on the importance of women in the Christian faith. (I had recently started working with Rachel on … read more
Paul got under my skin early on. I read Philemon—short and simple—at the age of four. When, ten years later, I had to choose a special study topic in a school class, I opted for “The Journeys of Paul,” though … read more
Every world religion includes fasting as a spiritual practice. Buddhists fast. Hindus fast. Jews fast. Muslims fast. Mormons fast. And for most of the last two thousand years, Christians fasted—a lot. Traditionally, every Wednesday and Friday were Christian fast days. … read more
“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:19, NRSV) Actually, no, I did not know that. For … read more