The Revolution Eats One of Its Own Midwives

by Carl R. Trueman

Veteran human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell finds himself on the receiving end of the world he unwittingly helped to create. Continue Reading »

16 Feb 2016

Letters

by Various

africaJohn Azumah, author of “Through African Eyes” (October), has been my colleague and friend at Columbia Theological Seminary since he arrived here in 2011. We have agreed on some matters, disagreed on others, and maintained a clear and sincere sense of collegiality regardless of our . . . . Continue Reading »

1 Dec 2015

Same-Sex Marriage and the Mormon Benedict Option

by Tom Stringham

The Mormons know how to keep everyone guessing. A week ago, they were looking more and more like the liberals in the conservative-on-sexual-matters religious world. Last month, LDS apostle Dallin H. Oaks surprised church members by publicly criticizing defiant Kentucky clerk Kim Davis, and earlier . . . . Continue Reading »

10 Nov 2015

Rites and Rights, in Two Churches

by Matthew J. Franck

When directly asked by Mormon friends and family members (yep, I’ve got LDS folks in my family), I have been privately critical of the LDS church’s support of the Utah legislature’s “compromise” on “discrimination” and religious freedom last spring. I think the church, from a position . . . . Continue Reading »

9 Nov 2015

Briefly Noted

by Various

Faith, Fiction and Force in Medieval Baptismal Debates by marcia colish cua, 384 pages, $69.95 B aptism seems so simple: water and the formula “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” But like so many religious practices, it can be celebrated in different ways, with . . . . Continue Reading »

1 Nov 2015

False Freedom

by R. R. Reno

The majority opinion in Obergefell, written by Justice Kennedy, opens with a grand claim about the nature of freedom: “The Constitution promises liberty to all within its reach, a liberty that includes certain specific rights that allow persons, within a lawful realm, to define and express their . . . . Continue Reading »

1 Oct 2015

Pope Francis at Independence Hall

by Alexi Sargeant

Despite Francis’s universally warm reception, there was a cold war waged on the steps of Independence Hall between two Philadelphia dignitaries offering introductory speeches before the Pope’s address.

28 Sep 2015

Thank You, Mark Oppenheimer

by Andrew T. Walker

Two days after the Obergefell decision, New York Times columnist Mark Oppenheimer suggested that it is now time to rethink the idea of tax-exempt status for religious institutions: “Rather than try to rescue tax-exempt status for organizations that dissent from settled public policy on matters of . . . . Continue Reading »

15 Jul 2015

Agape Wins

by Molly Oshatz

There’s been much talk lately about the moral purposes of history, especially from those celebrating the recent Supreme Court decision regarding gay marriage. History, we hear, is on the side of ever-expanding personal freedom, and those who counter this expansion are history’s losers. This . . . . Continue Reading »

6 Jul 2015

#LoveWins—Or Else

by Andrew T. Walker

In the aftermath of Friday’s Supreme Court decision, attention is turning toward the future of religious liberty. And if you read Justice Kennedy’s opinion on the ruling, you’ll quickly learn that if there’s to be any semblance of our historic understanding of religious liberty, there . . . . Continue Reading »

30 Jun 2015