You asked for it. So here it is — an oldie but a goodie: Bono's keynote address at the 2006 National Prayer Breakfast. You asked for it. So here it is — an oldie but a go ...

I have said and say again that whenever we make a judgment, we reveal more about ourselves than about the person against whom we are passing judgment. Controversial radio talk-sh ...

As a person who (loosely) identifies with the evangelical tradition, allow me to make a clear, unambiguous, declaration: GOD IS PRO-PEACE! On January 31, 2004, World Net Daily ...

There was a movement back in the 1960s that many of us only have read about, while others vividly remember. Philosophers and theologians explored what was labeled the “Death of God” movement. Interest in the s ...

“Church folks are just too political!” When people are asked why they have decided to leave the church, this has become an increasingly popular response. And, sadly, it is a particularly popular response for ...

The world has never been short on doomsday prophets, intent on predicting the end of days. And it has reached fetishist proportions this year with the end of the Mayan calendar. M ...

It seems Piper has a Twitter problem. Maybe he doesn’t see it as such, because with fewer than 140 characters, he can stir up quite a storm of controversy. But considering the damage that can be done with so f ...

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 ...

The question all this raises for me is: What’s behind our tendency to make messiahs out of people? There’s is actually a bit of a formula to it, stretching all the way back to the days of Jesus. ...

This coming Wednesday, Febr. 22, is Ash Wednesday. The following new hymn is based on the Revised Common Lectionary’s assigned reading of Isaiah 58:1-12 with its social justice themes. ...

The kingdom is where a banquet will be spread for all people (Isaiah 25:6-8), where there will never again be an infant that lives but a few days (Isaiah 65:20). Two-thousand ...

Amidst the recent police violence in Oakland and the sure temptation of some protestors to resort to violence, I wrote this little reflection inviting all Occupiers to a renewed commitment to nonviolence. ...

JERUSALEM — Every year, thousands of Americans travel abroad for less-expensive fertility treatments, hip replacements and other medical procedures. Now, an Israel-based tourism company is offering a package t ...

"You and I have the power to change someone’s day. And so I am going to challenge you, on this Valentine’s Day, to not only tell family members you love them, but also others whom you care for." ...

Anyone who knew Houston understands that her talent came from one place, the God she served at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark. This is where it all started for its daughter, where she was the darling of ...

They may not have steeples or stained glass, but the nontraditional churches say they are finding success tapping into a segment of society that may otherwise have been lost. At these churches, attendees often ...

As soon as I think that my friends and I have a corner on Jesus, Jesus reminds me that He’s bigger than any organization, doctrine, or philosophical system that I can wrap my brain around. ...

This past Sunday, Erick Erickson, editor-in-chief of the blog Red State wrote a post titled “The Perversion of the Words of Our Lord Jesus Christ by the Sinner Barack H. Obama." First, I hope that Erickso ...

“There is no distance in the Spirit.” After 30 years as a believer, I experienced the truth of that statement — powerfully and indelibly — in an unlikely place: online. “There ...

Whether what is happening in Alabama as a result of this law — and, as the program reveals, a great deal is happening, even if most of us outside of the state aren’t paying attention — was the intention of the ...

Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus is a true Internet phenomenon, garnering more than 18 million views and sparking a global debate. As with most internet phenomena, the viral video has given birth to dozens ...

“The poor will always be with you” — especially if you’re not poor — seems straightforward enough: Look around, people ! The poor (and their problems) are very much with us! Viewed through this kind of realpol ...

President Obama connected his faith with his policies toward the poor at the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday (2/2/12), a subtle but sharp contrast to remarks made by presidential hopeful Mitt Romney the ...

Today I was catching up on emails and came across two messages that deeply affected me, maybe because I read them back-to-back. Today I was catching up on emails and came across ...

Governor Brewer’s demeanor toward the president was inappropriate. However, the deeper question is why would this woman think it is appropriate to put her finger in anyone’s face, president or not? ...

Our political class does not hear the prayers of the poor, they hear the "prayers" of corporate lobbyists who fund their campaigns. And they hear the prayers of Christians such as Doug Coe and The Fa ...

Play matters from a faith perspective and within a developmental context. From either approach, play doesn’t just matter, it’s essential to who we are. The big red barn on my fami ...

January 25, 2012 Sojo in the News Jonathan D. Fitzgerald ...

I understand the interest in us evangelicals, I really do. The way much of the mainstream media covers our communities in the news can make us seem like a puzzling subspecies of the American population, not un ...

The "Tea Party Jesus" video will be a satirical take of the Sermon on the Mount with various quotes, signs and policy positions of the Tea Party. I can’t say I ever expe ...

Umair Haque is a self-titled “author, blogger, thinker, reformer.” But the more I read of his work, the more inclined I am to add the title “prophet” to that list of descriptors. ...

Are you a Christian who spends a lot of time online? Then perhaps you've heard of Jeff Bethke. Bethke, aka bball1989, is a spoken word poet whose rhymes and videos are capturing the attention of thousands ...

January 6, 2012 Sojo in the News Bruce Epperly ...

We can disagree, and we must when our conscience so demands, but we must do it with kindness, open minds and open hearts. Dear Sojourners Commenters, Please consider the f ...

In this segment from his new CatholicTV series "Blinks," the Rev. Jim Martin considers why Christianity is often considered so joyless, and why "religious" usually means "serious." ...

I have a number of identifiers on my various venues I write for and on my email signature: heretic, antagonist, father, son, instigator, pop culture junkie, theologian, social media guru, and so on. But one se ...

That baby Jesus will be many more things as his life, death, resurrection and eternity continues but here in the straw, and central to everything he will do and be, he is a symbol of grace. This is what Christ ...

For a story about conversion, death is a necessary character. It is in the finality of death that our eyes are able to readjust and see the horizon of our life and being. It is wi ...

Children remind us what faith is. When they overflow with joy and excitement it is contagious. When I imagine Jesus telling his disciples, “Let the little children come to me,” I ...

Scrooge had not yet lost all his empathy. It took the visions of Christmas past in order to spark it in him but it was still there. The Ghost of Christmas Past showed Scrooge a to ...

If all who hear the “Bethlehem Call” respond then momentum will build for the liberation of all God’s children in the Holy Land. In preparing to leave for the Holy Land a few week ...

Does the discovery of the Higgs Boson particle call into question the existence of God? If so, how does God feel about that? I figure she’ll be pissed. The international scientifi ...

Unaccounted for in the empire, baby Jesus’ first movement in this world was a government-evading trek through the desert by night. I noticed this Christmas season, for the first t ...

Young people are thirsting for social justice, and simply not finding those principles in the pews. Most vexing of all is that this trend isn’t surprising. But it should be. ...

Links (and Videos) of Awesomeness: Monday, Dec. 19, 2011 Flash mobs have been appearing quite often this year – in shopping malls, public transportation stations, occupy movements ...

"My favorite Christmas Hymn (technically an advent hymn) is 'O come, O come, Emmanuel.' I like it because it expresses the longing for Jesus to be 'with us,' and also that tension I b ...

We’re a house of hospitality when we learn to wait, when we learn to open ourselves to grace, when we let love transform us, one relationship at a time. Before Leah and I moved to ...

There is, once again, a threat of a government shutdown. Congress, once again, can’t get along. Even the most basic decision making has stalled as each party postures for their base. But, it’s almost Christma ...

The real Christmas announces the birth of Jesus to a world of poverty, pain, and sin, and offers the hope of salvation and justice. The Fox News Christmas heralds the steady promotion of consumerism, the defe ...

Sometimes, caring for our neighbor means a change of plans. Sometimes, caring for our neighbor means we have to slow down a little bit. Sometimes, caring for our neighbor might even cost us money. ...