Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Just How Long Did Jesus Stay in the Tomb?
(RNS) As Christians worldwide prepare to celebrate Easter, they will follow a familiar chronology: Jesus was crucified on Good Friday and rose from the dead on “the third day,” in the words of the ancient Nicene Creed....
Activists Want National Holiday for Good Friday
WASHINGTON (RNS) A small band of Christians is planning a rally in Washington, D.C., in a bid to make Good Friday a national holiday. Organizer Sharon Jones, a New York-based missionary, recalled growing up observing...
Filipino Churches Divided Over Hero’s Burial for Marcos
MANILA, Philippines (RNS/ENInews) Filipino church leaders are divided over a proposal to give the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos a hero’s burial. In late March, a resolution was endorsed by 193 lawmakers urging...
British Churches Decline; Growth Could Still Bloom
The church in Great Britain faces huge challenges over the next few years, but growth is still possible, according to a leading researcher. In "21 Concerns for 21st Century Christians," Peter Brierley points to the...
Hollywood Sacrifices Good Stories for Quick Profits
I have loved Hollywood's products my entire life. I sat in the dark of the Carolina Theater in Lumberton, N.C., as a boy and became enthralled by the figures that danced across that screen. Yes, I heard the preacher...
Learning the Civil War’s Painful and Joyful Lessons
The U.S. Civil War began 150 years ago, on April 12, 1861, when the first mortar round was fired on Fort Sumter, S.C. By the end of the Civil War in 1865, more than 600,000 soldiers had died, and the United States...
Anglicans Tighten Rules to Prevent Sham Marriages
LONDON (RNS) Couples suspected of using their wedding vows as a ruse to skirt immigration laws will be required to meet strict identity checks and face greater scrutiny under new Church of England guidelines to stop...
Archaeologist Claims Nails from Jesus’ Cross
JERUSALEM (RNS) An Israeli-Canadian journalist believes he may have tracked down two of the iron nails used to crucify Jesus to the cross. Or at least objects that “could be” the long-lost relics. While researching a...
Judge Says Monks Can Fight for Right to Sell Caskets
NEW ORLEANS (RNS) Monks at St. Joseph Abbey near Covington, La., can sue for the right to sell handcrafted caskets without a license from the Louisiana Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors, a federal judge has...
State Politicians Try to Advance Anti-Evolution Bills
Half a dozen state legislatures have taken up anti-evolution bills this year. In Tennessee, House Bill 368 passed the House Education Committee. That bill would permit public school teachers to discuss intelligent...
Judaism’s Mission: To Be a Blessing to All
I was asked recently to articulate why Judaism matters. Here is my reply: Now HaShem said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. [As a consequence of...
Make Sure Your Lost Cause Isn’t a Wrong One
At 4:40 a.m. on April 12, 1861, Confederate forces opened fire on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor in South Carolina, initiating the first battle of the American Civil War, an internecine conflict that would result in...
Religious liberty takes a hit
Amid all the hoopla over a potential government shutdown in the U.S., a growing nuclear disaster in Japan, and a developing war in Libya, an important Supreme Court ruling on April 4 went almost completely unnoticed....
French Ban on Full-face Veils Takes Effect
PARIS (RNS) Police arrested several veiled Muslim women Monday (April 11) and protests continued to spread as France’s controversial ban against the full-face veil came into force. At least two women wearing the...
Catholic Bishops Report Seven Abuse Cases During 2010
WASHINGTON (RNS) U.S. Catholic bishops announced Monday (April 11) that sexual abuse accusations against Catholic clergy increased in 2010, and auditors found 57 dioceses do not follow church guidelines on child...
Scholar Challenges Widely-held Beliefs About the Bible and Sex
A Boston biblical scholar challenges widely held beliefs about the Bible and sex in her new book, arguing Scripture cannot and should not be a guidebook for sexual morality. The Bible is a complex compendium of human...
Following the Path to the Center of God’s Will
As I was driving in the early morning rain to a meeting, insight from my walk the day before crystallized. I want my faith journey to be like a labyrinth and not like a maze. I want to promote peace, not confusion; to...
Gas Prices, Economy Could Devastate Churches
It is obvious that gas prices are rising quickly again. In 2007 and 2008, I wrote several posts on the prospects of gasoline hitting $4-$5 per gallon (you can read those posts here, here and here). We were well on the...
Green Day: Musical Prophets of Church’s Hypocrisy
Over the years, music fans have come to expect punk rock bands to deliver frustration-filled anthems that rage against "The Man" and society at large. However, Green Day's 2005 Grammy-winning rock album of the year,...
Green days
After being out of town for the weekend, I took the dog for a walk this morning, and it appeared that the whole neighborhood had turned green while I was gone. All those trees that were nothing but stark branches a few...
Lenten reflections
By John Pierce The season of Lent is designed for reflection — something some of us do on a more ongoing basis. Reflection is less a formal evaluation of life (or a particularly aspect of living) and more of a...