“Idolatry of guns.” What does that mean, exactly? “Idolatry of guns.” What does that mean, exactly? It might be hard to admit, but if you think about it, you can see that many ...

(Girard, I See Satan Fall Like Lightning , 17). The most important thing Bell teaches and models ...

We who believe in the God of Peace must lean forward into the not-yet-here future we are promised, and live as though that day has come. We must use nonviolent means to disarm our nation, and make it safe for ...

It’s been said that Hollywood films comfort the afflicted while Sundance films afflict the comfortable. Film offers a vicarious entry to the world the way it is, and the films I saw at the 2013 Sundance Film F ...

When thousands of abortion opponents gather Friday on the National Mall for their annual protest march, they will be united in their fierce passion for ending a procedure that the Supreme Court legalized 40 ye ...

January 24, 2013 Sojo in the News Jim Wallis ...

Half of Americans worry that religious freedom in the U.S. is at risk, and many say activist groups — particularly gays and lesbians — are trying to remove “traditional Christian values” from the public square ...

A U.N. special rapporteur is beginning an investigation into drone strikes. Ben Emmerson, a U.N. special rapporteur, is beginning an investigation into drone strikes in Afghanist ...

Lutheran leaders have warned the Vatican that the creation of a structure to welcome conservative Lutherans into the Catholic Church would harm dialogue and damage ecumenical relations. ...

It might be that our first job in responding to the rise of the "Nones" is that we should stop creating so many of them through our own arrogance and our attempts to judge others (contrary to Christ& ...

Playbook of rules for drone attacks exempts CIA in Pakistan. Several months ago, the Washington Post reported  that presidential counterterrorism adviser John Brennan w ...

Fourteen deaths in Yemen drone strikes in past four days. While Washington, D.C., reveled in the ceremonies and parties surrounding Inauguration Day, U.S. drones were busy in Yeme ...

This week's book reviews. Among my must reads are the Sunday New York Times Book Review and other book reviews I come across in various media outlets. There are too many ...

When did "football" become so intertwined with "God," like "God" and "America?" Faith and football, faith and flag. Is this what God is all about? ...

January 23, 2013 Sojo in the News Ina Hughes ...

In the past four decades, American attitudes have changed markedly on gay marriage, smoking, bullying, and a host of other cultural issues. In the past four decades, American atti ...

The Vatican applauded President Obama’s gun control proposals. The Vatican applauded President Obama’s gun control proposals. The Vatican continues to appeal for disarmament and m ...

This is a memorable week: on Monday the inauguration of President Obama on the holiday honoring Martin Luther King, Jr., and today, the 40th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision by the Supreme Court. Some p ...

As our nation celebrates the legacy of Martin Luther, King Jr., I can’t help but wonder what injustices Dr. King would fight against today. As our nation celebrates the legacy o ...

Because I’m a believer in people – and more so – because I believe in the power of redemption, reconciliation, and restoration, I want to see Manti Te'o do well – not just as a football player – but as a ...

Four decades after Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion, many opponents of the decision are in a celebratory mood while those backing abortion rights are glum, feeling that mo ...

Making public the secret legal memos that claim to justify drone policy. John Brennan, President Obama’s counterterrorism advisor and nominee for CIA Director, is one of the archi ...

January 14, 2013 Sojo in the News Brian Witte ...

January 15, 2013 Andy Sullivan Reuters ...

Rep. Keith Ellison proposes Congress create a legal framework to guide executive action. Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) writes in a Washington Post op-ed of the many unanswered ...

January 16, 2013 Sojo in the News Lauren Markoe ...

January 16, 2013 Sojo in the News Jewish Telegraphic Agency ...

January 14, 2013 Sojo in the News Sally Steenland ...

After Nellie Gray’s death in August at age 88, a woman less than half her age will take up the cause to lead marchers from the National Mall to the Supreme Court on Jan. 25 to protest the 40th anniversary of R ...

Wise leaders spend time in the wilderness. Wise leaders spend time in the wilderness. Some choose a sojourn in the desert; most are driven there when their leadership fails ...

What recommendations can the president implement through executive order? Can an assault weapons ban pass Congress? Will victims and gun safety advocates be able to persuade Congress to pass meaningful legisla ...

It’s easier to guide the vision and mission of a church you start. It’s another thing to help a 135-year-old congregation reimagine what it means to be a downtown urban church in a world that has changed drama ...

Dozens of the nation’s faith leaders said on Tuesday that they’re ready to take on the gun lobby and demanded that politicians take quick and concrete steps to stem gun violence. ...

Nothing was tortured more in the making of Kathryn Bigelow’s film Zero Dark Thirty than the truth about torture. Nothing was tortured more in the making of Kathryn Bigelow’s fil ...

Last week, while most of Israel was focused on increasingly extreme rhetoric surrounding the upcoming elections and most Americans were listening to angry debates about guns and fiscal responsibility, a remark ...

What we know and what we don’t know about drone strikes. For a number of months, I’ve reported and commented on news of drone strikes, the drone program, and legal and political ...

A foreign policy of fewer troops on the ground, but more drones in the air. Ross Douthat posits that President Obama’s nominations of former Sen. Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defen ...

Addressing "moral injury" among veterans. Counter-insurgency wars, such as those in Iraq and Afghanistan, frequently place soldiers in morally ambiguous situations. What ...

people. However multiple sources reported up to 17 missiles were fired on two close but separate targets at least ...

Lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride still attract a lot of attention. But as the Internet and other media invade American life, our vices have also gone virtual, according to a new study. ...

Drone reports in today's news. The United Nations wants to use drones in peacekeeping missions, but some developing countries are opposed, fearing that it will become  a new ...

Since Florida became the first state to try them in 1996, virtual public schools have enjoyed dramatic growth, with at least some of it coming from religious families. Worried ...

The only reason that I am Christian is because I am spiritual-but-not-religious. The only reason that I am Christian is because I am spiritual-but-not-religious. Right. That� ...

The Editors We liked Lynne Hybel's February 2013 column "Aren't We Supposed to Be Peacemakers?" so much that we created a church sign about it! Some mes ...

The Editors Take heart! A new generation of evangelicals for peace is on the rise. It appears a new generatio ...

There are over 65 countries where Christians face imprisonment, torture, or death. Open Doors, a non-denominational Christian group that supports persecuted Christians, reminds us ...

The Editors Spiritual growth through bread-making. Many congregations lament that young adults are leaving ch ...

I always begin a new year by remembering those who passed in the just concluded year. These aren’t necessarily the most famous, and I didn’t know them personally (or, at best, had met several briefly), but the ...

The persecution of Christians “vastly rose” in 2012 as radical Islamists consolidated power in Africa, according to Open Doors, a Christian missionary organization which publishes an annual list of offending n ...

I’m cloaked in Bible stories and Christian tradition, and therefore I live in hope that there’s a Creator and that this God is working quietly to heal the world. Almost two years ...