Martin L. Smith Reflections on the Revised Common Lectionary, Cycle C HOW SHALL WE engage with scripture thro ...

Patrick O'Neill Farm labor organizer Baldemar Velasquez on making it real in the here and now. A RECENT ...

In Old Testament scripture, the resting place for the dead is called Sheol. While some believe this is the same as hell, there are indications to the contrary. In the ancient Jewish tradition, Sheol is a place ...

So what happens when someone dies? Hameroff theorizes that the quantum processes previously taking place within the brain rejoin the larger proto-consciousness that exists in the universe. ...

So this "soul" that we speak of — this part of our selves that isn't grounded in physical being but is spiritual (whatever that means) that we expect or hope will live on after our mortal coils ...

After writing up my first list of Ten Cliches Christians Should Never Use , some folks wrote me with other suggestions. After simmering on it for a while, I came up with a second list of ten to supplement the first. And as there was some confu ...

“It’s my privilege actually to use the incense for you as a sign of your dignity and to connect the gift that you have from above with heaven, because that’s truly where it comes from." ~ Father Eamon O&# ...

N.T. Wright has explored Christian misconceptions about heaven in previous books, but now devotes an entire volume, "How God Became King: The Forgotten Story of the Gospels," to this trendy subject. ...

What’s fascinating to me, though, is that an increasing number of westerners – Christians in particular – are rethinking heaven and the whole concept of life after death. The popu ...

Jesus said it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of the needle that you used to stitch that Noah’s Ark for your child’s bedroom — than for a rich guy to get to heaven. Let. That. Sink. In. ...

In 2004 I met then-State Sen. Barack Obama at Café Baci, a small coffee shop in Chicago. We spoke for more than an hour. He came alone. No handler, no spokesperson, no notes. He seemed to be relaxed and at eas ...

In the squares of the city, In the shadow of a steeple; By the relief office, I'd seen my people. As they stood there hungry, I stood there asking, Is this land made for you and me? ...

At a Monday night event in Los Angeles, President Obama was interrupted by a heckler who declared that he was the "antichrist." Obama had just begun to speak -- saying hello to a member of Congress ...

"The conditions of my life are precarious," film critic Roger Ebert wrote last week in a posting on his online journal titled, "Fall from Grace." Ebert, 69, perhaps the pre-eminent film cr ...

Richard Schiffman Eschewing perfection, they knotted in a flaw, the human signature and kink that made the carpet whole -- not less perfect, but more for the fraying edge, th ...

He put before them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greates ...

When evangelical politicians pronounce on topics like the origins of the universe, the results are almost always awful -- embarrassing, infuriating, unwatchable. When evang ...

This past weekend, Christians around the world celebrated one of our holiest holi-days: Pentecost. This past weekend, Christians around the world celebrated one of our holiest hol ...

The rapture date and prediction has come and gone.</p> The rapture date and prediction has come and gone. By now, all of you have heard about the frenzy around 89-year-o ...

When I was in high school as part of my participation in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, I had to write what was called an "extended essay" -- basically an essay of the (then) extreme ...

<p><a href="http://blog.sojo.net/2011/03/18/love-wins-my-interview-with-rob-bell/" target="_self"></a>Monday morning, 8 a.m PST. My phone rings. It's Rob Bell calling ...

Lent is late this year, thanks to an unusual alignment of the earth and heavens -- the vernal equinox, the paschal full moon -- and to the <a href="http://blog.sojo.net/tag/easter/" target="_ ...

An Egyptian friend living in Chicago just spoke with a pastor in Cairo. For security purposes, I have not used the name of the pastor in Cairo, but I do know him and deeply respect him. ...

At the baptism of our Lord, heaven simply could not contain God Godself and God the Spirit who interrupt the regularly scheduled programming to bring a very important message. At ...

In this season in which we find ourselves there is an anticipatory feeling in the air. A waiting, a longing, and yearning. This is a time filled with preparations and signs and symbols. ...

Should Christians reject the cross of Jesus Christ? Should Christians reject the cross of Jesus Christ? Listen to Glenn Beck and it would be reasonable to think that the answe ...

Hans Peterson, a good friend of mine, died two months ago in a work-related accident. Hans Peterson, a good friend of mine, died two months ago in a work-related accident. Hans wa ...

Last week at her blog, <a href="http://rachelheldevans.com/gospel" target="_blank">Rachel Held Evans</a> proposed the question "What is the Gospel?" She received s ...

<p style="text-align: left;">[<a href="http://blog.sojo.net/tag/emergent-and-race/">Read more of this blog conversation</a> in response to the <em>Sojourners </ ...

A few weeks ago I wrote a post on my blog entitled <a href="http://aarondtaylor.blogspot.com/2010/03/will-real-gospel-please-stand-up.html">Will the Real Gospel Please Stand Up?</a> In t ...

Over the years my understanding of the creation account has changed. Over the years my understanding of the creation account has changed. I would picture Barbie and Ken doubling ...

[<a href="../tag/emergent-and-race/">Read more of this blog conversation</a> in response to the <em>Sojourners </em>article "<a href="http://www.sojo.net/index. ...

I was filling out an application recently and was asked to write a short statement on my "personal faith pilgrimage." I grew up in the Christian world, and so have had to write out my testimony ...

[<a href="http://blog.sojo.net/tag/emergent-and-race/">Read more of this blog conversation</a> in response to the <em>Sojourners </em>magazine article "<a href=" ...

As a Christian, I have a high level of sensitivity toward Jews, of a never-ending sense to be protective of their religion As a Christian, I have a high level of sensitivity towa ...

<p><a href="http://www.ryanrodrickbeiler.com/International/Palestine-and-Israel/9000011_7mJL3#598629326_5jZy4"></a>When I was a little girl, Easter morning in my house smelled of vi ...

Why are people poor? Why do they stay poor? What would it take to get them out of poverty? These are major questions that have been heavily debated for a century in our country.</p> ...

Eight million more Americans are now in poverty. Well Eight million more Americans are now in poverty. Well Reduce poverty, yes! But how? Reduce poverty, yes! But how? Do ...

Perhaps you've heard of them. Perhaps you've heard of them. Televangelists with bouffant hairstyles and Rolex watches saying send me a dollar and God will give you a hun ...

<p>As an adolescent, I had a lot in common with <a href="http://fromthepewsintheback.com/2009/04/26/somethingmore/" target="_blank">my youngest brother</a> in terms of my ...

<p>Something sort of mystical and magical happened after a 19-year-old kid named Papito was killed on our block a few weeks ago. As our neighborhood ached and grieved and cried with his family, we began ...

<em>In <a href="http://whyismarko.com/2010/jesus-freak">Mark Oestreicher's review</a> of <a href="http://www.saramiles.net">Sara Miles'</a> latest bo ...

<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0061853984?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=sojo_blog-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0061853984">&l ...

<p><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wnFEbT1wwhs/S3q7WikSifI/AAAAAAAABNw/EO3vNVmCR3w/s1600-h/Norval+%26+Blanche+at+81.jpg"></a>Fifteen years ago next week, on my mother's 85th ...

<p>I used to be just like Glenn Beck, only without the multi-million dollar TV show: I used to get attention by angrily, and humorously, attacking politicians. I'm ashamed of how I acted back then. ...

<p><a href="http://www.wayneyuan.com/2010/01/urbana-09-photos.html"></a>Last week I had the privilege of attending the <a href="http://www.urbana09.org/home.main.cfm"&g ...

<p><a href="http://blog.sojo.net/tag/finding-our-way-in-the-new-economy/"></a></p> 'Tis the season. As we get into the full ritua ...

The decision has been made. The orders have been signed. The first wave of the 30,000 additional warriors heading to Afghanistan is scheduled to arrive before Christmas. The dec ...

"There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations caused by the roaring of the sea and the waves," proclaims Jesus in the gospel of Luke. ...

Every three years, young evangelists from around the world gather in Portland Oregon to attend a conference put on by the Next Generation Alliance, an organization dedicated to mentoring the next g ...